Vaccination, John Lee, Ukraine top Google searches in HK

James Lee

Covid "vaccination appointment," Chief Executive "John Lee Ka-chiu" and "Ukraine" were the top keywords and topics searched by Google users for the year about to end.

"Vaccination appointment" and "compulsory testing" were the top two phrases amid anti-epidemic actions implemented throughout the year.

Web users also looked up a lot the translation of "nucleic acid testing," "rapid antigen test" and "sore throat" as they tried to brush up on their knowledge of medical terms.

The top trending news chart was dominated by global conflicts and international breaking news, with "Ukraine" and "Shinzo Abe" taking the top two spots.

Local happenings like "pandemic in Hong Kong," "Mirror concert," and "consumption voucher scheme" followed closely behind.

With fintech being another popular topic, NFT - or nonfungible tokens - and trading platform "OpenSea" occupied two of the top three spots on the trending finance news chart, with conventional investment topics like "green bond," "silver bond" and "time deposit" making it into the top 10.

The three most searched for individuals were "John Lee Ka-chiu," skier "Eileen Gu" - who won gold medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics - and Japanese figure skater "Yuzuru Hanyu."

Following close behind were the Speaker of the US House of Representatives "Nancy Pelosi," whose Taiwan visit earlier in August sparked controversy, and "Witman Hung Wai-man," whose 53rd birthday party in January landed several officials and lawmakers in Covid quarantine.

Hong Kong cinema was in the spotlight at the box office with "The Sparring Partner," "Warriors of Future," "Table for Six," "Limbo," "Mama's Affair," "Chilli Laugh Story" and "Far Far Away" taking seven of the top 10 slots on the trending movies chart.

In entertainment and popular culture, "Terence Lam Ka-him" and "Hins Cheung King-hin," who both performed in concerts this year, came in second and third on the celebrities list.

The "Hong Kong Book Fair," "Terence Lam Concert" and "Hins Cheung Concert" were the three most-searched items on the top trending local hotspots chart as exhibitions and performances returned to the city.

Japan remained a top holiday destination for locals as Hong Kong scrapped its hotel quarantine requirements. Nine hotspots in Japan, including "Kyoto," "Fukuoka" and "Tokyo" made the top trending hotspots ranking for outbound travel. Hongkongers also looked up hotel recommendations with demand for staycations remaining high. For top trending hotels, "The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel Hong Kong" was first, followed by "Harbor Plaza North Point" and "Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong."

cjames.lee@singtaonewscorp.com