Nearly half of affluent Hongkongers consider immersive travel as one of their life goals, more than double the proportion who prioritize property ownership, with high-net-worth individuals spending nearly HK$30,000 a month exploring the world, a survey by Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) showed.
The bank’s Hong Kong Travel Value Report 2026, released on Tuesday, interviewed more than 1,000 affluent and high-net-worth Hong Kong residents. The former refers to individuals with liquid assets of at least HK$200,000 or investable assets between HK$1 million and HK$7.8 million, while the latter refers to individuals with investable assets of HK$7.8 million or above.
The survey pointed out that more than half of respondents view travel as a form of investment, with the figures rising to 72 percent among high-net-worth individuals.
Nearly one-third of respondents said their annual spending on travel exceeds that on discretionary expenses such as dining, entertainment and fashion, according to the survey. Among high-net-worth individuals, average monthly travel expenditure approaches HK$30,000.
Meanwhile, 80 percent of respondents noted that their greatest regret from their younger years was not travelling more to see more of the world, rather than not saving enough money.
This shift in attitude is also influencing parenting. Over 90 percent of surveyed parents considered overseas travel to be one of the most meaningful and valuable investments in their children’s development, ranking it above tutoring and extracurricular activities.
“As of June this year, the number of Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard – affluent tier cardholders increased by more than 30 percent year-on-year, while their credit card spending up by over 40 percent,”said Anshul Sabherwal, head of products (credit cards and personal loans) and payment at Standard Chartered Hong Kong.
He added that nearly 60 percent of respondents use air miles to upgrade their cabin class or travel to more distant destinations.
