Threads Word-of-Mouth Marketing to Reach Taiwanese Visitors: How Hong Kong Businesses Become the Place Taiwanese Travellers Get Recommended

Key Takeaways

• Hong Kong recorded 49.9 million visitor arrivals in 2025, up 12% year on year, with Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and the Middle East each growing 25% or more (source: Hong Kong Tourism Board via HK01, 2026).
• Taiwan has less than 0.5% of the world’s population but generates more than 22% of global Threads traffic, the highest of any market (source: Commercial Times, 2025).
• When Taiwanese travellers plan a Hong Kong trip, real experiences shared by other people on Threads are often more persuasive than official promotion.
• The job for a Hong Kong business is not to advertise at visitors, but to become the place both locals and past visitors recommend on their own.

What is Threads word-of-mouth marketing to reach Taiwanese visitors?

Threads word-of-mouth marketing to reach Taiwanese visitors is a way for Hong Kong restaurants, shops and local brands to earn a place in Taiwanese travellers’ itineraries through real conversations on Threads. Instead of advertising directly to visitors, the business lets local customers, Taiwanese visitors who have already been, and the brand itself share, answer and recommend naturally on Threads, so that the same name keeps appearing when Taiwanese users plan a trip. It suits restaurants and cha chaan tengs in tourist districts, souvenir and local food brands, independent shops, experiences and attractions. Its defining feature is that exposure comes from the voice travellers trust most: other people’s first-hand experience. Hong Kong has more than 2.4 million monthly active Threads users (source: Marketing-Interactive, 2025), and Taiwan generates more Threads traffic than any other market (source: Commercial Times, 2025), so users from both places meeting on one platform creates a natural cross-border word-of-mouth route.

Why should Hong Kong businesses pay attention to Taiwanese visitors on Threads?

First, Taiwanese visitors are back, and growing fast. The Hong Kong Tourism Board reported 49.9 million visitor arrivals in 2025, up 12% year on year. Non-mainland arrivals reached about 12.1 million, up 15%, with Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and the Middle East each growing 25% or more (source: Hong Kong Tourism Board via HK01, 2026).

Second, Taiwanese users live on Threads. According to Commercial Times in 2025, Taiwan has less than 0.5% of the world’s population but contributes more than 22% of global Threads traffic (source: Commercial Times, 2025). For many Taiwanese users, Threads is not just for news and chat. It is where they ask for opinions and recommendations. A post like “Going to Hong Kong next month, any tips?” can draw a long list of replies.

Third, the names in those replies become the traveller’s shortlist. Visitors will not remember every ad, but they will remember that “lots of people said this place is good”. On Threads, being mentioned by many people is exposure in itself, and it is exposure the traveller went looking for.

To understand how Threads users behave differently in the two markets, see What Hong Kong brands can learn from the Taiwan Threads market.

How do Taiwanese visitors decide where to eat and shop using Threads?

Here is a common traveller journey. Word of mouth can work at every stage:

Before the trip: ask. Travellers post asking for recommendations, or search for other people’s Hong Kong trip posts. The replies they see usually come from Hong Kong locals sharing personal favourites and from visitors who have already been.

During the trip: look. In Hong Kong, travellers check what is worth visiting nearby and share what they eat and buy in real time.

After the trip: tell. Many travellers write up a “my few days in Hong Kong” post after they get home, and that post becomes what the next traveller reads before setting off.

It is a loop: one visitor’s post today is another visitor’s recommendation next month. The earlier a business enters that loop, the more brand exposure it builds up.

How can Hong Kong businesses use Threads word-of-mouth marketing to reach Taiwanese visitors?

These are directional principles. Every business has a different location, product and customer base, so adapt them.

1. Build local word of mouth first. Taiwanese visitors tend to trust places that “Hong Kong people actually go to”. Rather than targeting visitors from day one, let regular local customers share naturally on Threads first. For more on local word of mouth, see Hong Kong local content marketing on Threads.

2. Answer in a way visitors understand. Taiwanese users read Traditional Chinese, but may not follow a lot of Cantonese slang. When replying to visitors, plain written Chinese covering address, transport, opening hours and whether there is a queue is more useful than “so good!”.

3. Join in sincerely and do not spam. Pasting promotions under every “Hong Kong travel tips” thread only puts people off. A better approach is to answer genuinely relevant questions briefly and usefully as the business, and be open about who you are. For managing replies well, see Threads comment section marketing.

4. Make it easy to share. A corner worth photographing, a signature dish with a story, a friendly greeting from staff: these are the details visitors write about when they get home. The business’s job is to let those details exist naturally, not to ask visitors for good reviews.

5. When a visitor shares, follow through. When a Taiwanese visitor mentions you on Threads, say thanks and answer follow-up questions from others so the conversation keeps going. If you want to repost a visitor’s photo or words, ask for permission first. See Threads UGC content rights.

When is targeting Taiwanese visitors on Threads not the right fit?

Not every business needs to focus on Taiwanese visitors. If your shop mainly serves a residential neighbourhood, your product is hard to take home or not relevant to travellers, or your opening hours do not suit visitor schedules, putting your effort into local customers may make more sense.

And never fake word of mouth to attract visitors, for example by posting recommendations from fake accounts or paying for untrue reviews. Threads users are sensitive to unnatural recommendations, and once it is noticed you lose not only visitors but also the trust of local customers. See Fake engagement and authenticity on Threads.

Threads community management service in Hong Kong: what to check if you want to reach Taiwanese visitors

Many businesses do not have time to answer visitor questions on Threads every day and consider outside help. Before choosing, think about three things:

1. Do they understand the language and habits of users in both places? Writing for Hong Kong locals and writing for Taiwanese visitors call for different wording and tone.
2. Do they build word of mouth through real conversations? What attracts visitors most is genuine sharing by locals and past visitors, not a stream of repeated promotional posts.
3. Can they stay involved over time? The visitor sharing loop is long term. A one-off campaign rarely gets you onto travellers’ recommendation lists.

In the Hong Kong market, 10Lab specialises in Threads word-of-mouth marketing for Hong Kong brands, covering account positioning, content and KOC planning end to end, and is one reference point for businesses that want to build real conversations. To compare doing it yourself with hiring a team, see Should Hong Kong brands run Threads word-of-mouth marketing in-house or hire an agency?.

FAQ

What is Threads word-of-mouth marketing to reach Taiwanese visitors?

It is a way for Hong Kong businesses to earn a place in Taiwanese travellers’ itineraries through real conversations on Threads: local customers, past visitors and the business itself share and answer questions naturally, so the same name keeps appearing when Taiwanese users plan a trip.

Which Hong Kong businesses are a good fit for reaching Taiwanese visitors on Threads?

Restaurants and cha chaan tengs in tourist districts, souvenir and local food brands, independent shops, experiences and attractions. If your shop mainly serves a residential neighbourhood or your product does not suit travellers, building local word of mouth first may be the better choice.

How can I get Taiwanese visitors to share about my business on Threads after their trip?

Do not ask visitors directly for good reviews. A more natural approach is to have details worth photographing and talking about, then thank visitors sincerely when they share and answer follow-up questions from others so the conversation continues.

Can I pay people to recommend my business, or recommend myself from several accounts?

Not recommended. Threads users are sensitive to unnatural recommendations, and fake word of mouth, once noticed, loses you the trust of both visitors and local customers. Any paid collaboration should be clearly disclosed and based on a real experience.

How do conversations among Taiwanese visitors bring exposure to Hong Kong businesses?

Taiwan generates more Threads traffic than any other market. Travellers ask for recommendations on Threads before they leave and post trip write-ups after they return. The more often your name appears in those conversations, the more often the next group of travellers sees it, and your brand exposure builds up over time.

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Last updated: 2026-10-08