Cathay taps into creator territory to sell Hong Kong one square kilometre at a time

Cathay Pacific is leaning into creator marketing to drive Australians and New Zealanders back to Hong Kong, expanding its social-first Hong Kong: The Most Fun Per km² campaign across Oceania.

The second iteration of the campaign features Australian travel creator Shayla Mannings and ANZ duo Luisa Dal Din and Lachlan Smith alongside creators from across Southeast Asia.

Developed with Leo Singapore, the campaign challenges each creator to explore just one square kilometre of Hong Kong, positioning the city's density as a competitive tourism advantage rather than trying to cram an entire destination into a conventional itinerary.

Creator journeys are being rolled out across TikTok and Instagram, with the Instagram grid itself used as a map of different Hong Kong neighbourhoods.

Spark Foundry Australia is among the agencies working on the regional campaign.

Cathay said the push comes as visitor numbers into Hong Kong continue to recover, with 26.7 million arrivals in the first half of 2026, up 13% year-on-year according to Hong Kong Tourism Board figures cited by the airline.

Cathay Pacific regional head of customer travel and lifestyle, Southeast Asia and Oceania Nicholas Tay said the campaign was designed to encourage travellers to move beyond the city's familiar landmarks.

“Through Hong Kong: The Most Fun Per KM², we hope to encourage travellers to look beyond familiar landmarks and discover the extraordinary diversity of experiences in each of Hong Kong’s neighbourhoods,” Tay said.

Leo Singapore groupe executive creative director Asheen Naidu said the creative idea was built around reframing density as Hong Kong's “unfair advantage”.

The campaign also links creator content to curated itineraries and Cathay fares, giving the airline a more direct path from social discovery to booking.