Hong Kong people happiest at home according to new research from Regus

March 25, 2014 - PRLog -- New technological solutions such as telecommuting and video conferencing could prove more popular than business travel to homesick Hong Kongers

Hong Kong, 25 March 2014 – Aside from missing their families and home, Hong Kong business travellers are very much attached to their home cooking, according to the latest survey by Regus, the global flexible workplace provider. Home cooking (23%) is among the top three things Hong Kong travellers missed when abroad for work. The survey, canvassed the views of over 19,000 business owners and senior managers in 98 countries.

When travelling abroad for business respondents globally reported that after family (68%) and their home (38%), they are most likely to be hit by a bout of nostalgia over home cooking (25%), rather than savouring the delights of a foreign cuisine.

One in five Hong Kong respondents (16%) also longs to speak in their own language. The figure for respondents from China (40%) and Japan (27%)were even higher, highlighting the fact that some home-comforts really are irreplaceable in making people feel they belong. Interestingly, 18% of respondents from South Korea miss television programmes at home, a much higher figure than the global average (7%).


Other findings highlight that:

·         In Hong Kong, respondents were more likely to miss their home (44%) than the global average of 38%;

·         Globally, generation X and Baby Boomers are less likely to be willing to travel for work with family commitments taking their toll;

·         Generation X, who are most likely to have young children, are also the most likely to miss their family (73%);

·         In Hong Kong almost a third (30%) of respondents are less willing than they were ten years ago to separate from their home comforts and travel for business.

Some respondents were less willing today than 10 years ago to travel on business, while others proved more willing.

"Face-to-face meetings have often been a key part of business as people need to see the expressions and body language of those they are talking to, but workers also find that over the years their priorities change. New technologies that allow workers to hold video conferences are becoming more and more common and employees are rightly starting to demand that these be offered as an alternative to travel,"said John Henderson, Chief Financial Officer, Regus Asia-Pacific.

"Reducing unnecessary travel also helps the bottom line:  it significantly reduces costs and carbon footprint. By introducing a greater degree of video conferencing, businesses can have their cake and eat it too: they can save money and the environment, as well as helping increase employee satisfaction and improve their work:life balance."

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About Regus

Regus is the global workplace provider.

Its network of more than 1,800 business centres in 100 countries provides convenient, high-quality, fully serviced spaces for people to work, whether for a few minutes or a few years. Companies like Google, Toshiba and GlaxoSmithKline choose Regus so that they can work flexibly and make their businesses more successful.

The key to flexible working is convenience and so Regus is opening wherever its 1.5 million members want support - city centres, suburban districts, shopping centres and retail outlets, railway stations, motorway service stations and even community centres.

Founded in Brussels, Belgium, in 1989, Regus is based in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.regus.com