The Visa Explore App offering the latest overseas and local offers and promotions is now available to Visa cardholders for download free of charge.

Mobile phones and credit cards are among the top two essential travel companions for Hong Kong residents traveling abroad. This is just one of the many findings reported by the 2015 Survey on Hong Kong Consumer Travel Spending Pattern, an online survey of more than 800 credit card holders conducted by ESDLife to understand the travel patterns of Hong Kong residents.

According to the survey, Hong Kong residents average around 20 days of annual leave, around 70 percent of which (14 days) is spent on overseas travel, with the most popular destinations being Japan (23 percent),Taiwan (18 percent), Thailand (10 percent) and Korea (10 percent). The survey also revealed that the vast majority of respondents (84 percent) spend a good portion of their vacations using their mobile phones to text family and friends (73 percent), research travel information (59 percent), upload photos of their experiences onto social media (48 percent) and map or find directions (46 percent). It is no wonder that the vast majority of respondents ranked mobile phones (83 percent) and credit cards (79 percent) as the top two items brought along on every trip.

Designed to cater to these intrepid cardholders and available for download on Apple's App Store and Google Play, the Visa Explore app is a mobile application which grants unlimited access to the latest Visa local and overseas offers and promotions worldwide – from travel deals to shopping, dining, entertainment and other lifestyle-related privileges – personalized to your interests. It also provides various indispensable travel tools all in one place, including quick access to Visa concierge numbers and emergency assistance.

Tom Tobin, Country Manager of Visa Hong Kong and Macau, said: "In addition to the convenience of being able to use your Visa card at millions of merchants in more than 220 countries and regions worldwide, the Visa Explore mobile app provides cardholders with the added benefit of checking on the latest premium card offers on-the-go. This is an essential feature for Hong Kong residents who rely heavily on their phones to make the most out of their travel experience and share their vacations with the world."