Hong Kong's Top Searches: What Have You Been Googling in 2023?

It’s hard to believe the divisive tragedy of the Titan submersible implosion happened only this year, or that there was once a time when – instead of being unable to escape from the myriad of Christmas displays in every corner – it was nearly impossible to go a full day of conversation without mention of the mega cultural phenomenon that was ‘Barbenheimer.

In customary Google fashion, the search giant is taking a trip down the 2023 memory lane to round up the most popular hot topics, pop culture references, and iconic individuals that have captured the attention of Hong Kong. What have you searched for this year in Hong Kong?

Hong Kongers Love Our Movies and Music

Kicking off the box office with a bang, the locally produced and directed ‘A Guilty Conscience’ (Dir. Jack Ng) topped the league of Top Trending Movies in Hong Kong, raking in a whopping HK$100 million, and hammering home the storytelling skills of our city’s homegrown film talents. Joining the leaderboard were Hong Kong films: ‘In Broad Daylight’ (Dir. Lawrence Kwan Chun Kan), ‘To My Nineteen-year-Old Self’ (Dir. Mabel Cheung), ‘Where the Wind Blows’ (Dir. Philip Yung), and ‘The Sparring Partner’ (Dir. Ho Cheuk-tin), with the last entry entering the list in 2022 as well.

When it came to the summertime phenomena of ‘Oppenheimer’ (Dir. Christopher Nolan) versus ‘Barbie’ (Dir. Greta Gerwig), the former leapt ahead in terms of search frequency. Could this be a result of Googling up some pre-or-post-viewing history lessons?

Following the upswing of large-scale events and live musical performances making their big comeback to the scene, Hong Kongers proved ourselves eager for all the concerts we could get. LED banners were waved and cheers were hollered in support of local acts like Twins, Mayday, Jacky Sheung, Sammi Cheung, Eason Chan, MC Cheung, and Keung To, all of whom placed between third to tenth on the Top Trending Music Concerts in 2023 list. Still, the most anticipated, instantly sold-out extravaganza was Jay Chou’s Central Harbourfront show, which climbed over BLACKPINK to rank as the roster’s top search.

With crowds that fervently welcome both local and international music acts, it’s safe to say Hong Kong is ready to set the stage for even more smashing concerts in 2024.

Hottest Events This Year in Hong Kong

While Hong Kongers were spoilt with two entire rounds of Clockenflap this year, the city had also played host to a dazzling series of local events that tapped into all sorts of interests, with the 2023 Top Trending occasion being the Hong Kong Book Fair.

Another large-scale expo that drew in hordes of fans was Ani-Com Hong Kong, whilst the Hong Kong Flower Show drew in nature lovers and the HKTDC Food Expo attracted both gourmands and foodies by trade. There was also room for the arts on the search trends podium, with the international convention Art Basel placing eighth in rankings, and the famed Rubber Duck art installation by Florentijn Hofman edging it out for seventh place.

Japan Remains Our Favourite Holiday Destination

Revealing the most popular travel spots of outbound Hong Kongers this year, Google turned to the Top Trending Weather Forecast search list to track down our top holiday destinations. Topping the list is Tokyo, with neighbouring Japanese city Osaka following closely at second place, whilst Kyoto and Japan (as a nation) also made placements. Amongst the other entries, the destination with the shortest travel time would be Macau, whilst the furthest is Colombo, Sri Lanka.

For the full list of Hong Kong’s Google: A Year in Search 2023, click here.