You want to know why the travel industry is worth $5.29 trillion? One word: Novelty.
It's widely acknowledged that most people enjoy the novelty that comes with travel (although sadly most would choose to stay in their comfort zone, that's a topic for another post). If there was one thing that hit me square in the face on my first visit to Hong Kong in October 2018, it was the novelty of the place. The sheer density alone was something that I hadn't seen anywhere else, even in South Korea. At around 6,791 people per km², Hong Kong is the fourth most-densely populated country in the world, behind Macau, Monaco and Singapore. Although with a population just shy of 7.5 million being much larger than any of those city-states, you could argue that it certainly feels a little more constricted, especially if you've ever experienced rush-hour here.
Walking the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui on the border gave me pause from the manic streets of the neighbouring suburbs, if only for a little while. Synonymous with the Symphony of Lights and the Star Ferry that links the mainland to Hong Kong Island by boat, it was here that I shot perhaps my favourite photo ever. Swipe through to see it.
