Hong Kong women are becoming quite the avid travelers.

According to new information released by local travel authorities, agencies and airlines, females have become major consumers with a taste for sightseeing.

Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and France are among their favorite destinations - places with class, culture and plenty of leisurely fun.

To Hongkongers, Japan is the home of hot springs, Taiwan is a culinary paradise and Thailand is famous for its spa services. Apart from its beautiful landscape, culture and historical heritage, France also lures women by being the world's fashion capital.

To target trendy female travelers, major local travel agencies, together with several foreign travel authorities, have organized an exhibition to help prospective travelers make travel plans. The exhibition commenced yesterday and will last until Saturday.

At the opening of the exhibition, Taguchi Kazunari, executive director of the Japan National Tourist Association in Hong Kong, said the number of Hong Kong visitors to Japan rose by 20 percent to more than 437,000 last year, and the proportion of women was slightly more than of men. He expects the number to further grow by 30 percent this year.

Hong Kong women are very hard working, and they deserve a break to spend holidays in Japan, he suggested. Hong Kong women are very fond of shopping in Japan, he noted, but Japan is also famous for its over 3,000 hot springs that provide relaxation, treatment and beauty effects.

Balwin Yeung, senior marketing manger of Hong Thai Travel Services, said the number of Hong Kong people visiting the four mentioned places is increasing, and the women outnumber the men.

To attract Hongkongers to Taiwan, China Airlines offers cash coupons for their customers to enjoy spas, dining and to buy books.

Given the already large base, Thailand and Taiwan visitor growths are not very significant, but the number of people visiting Japan and France has grown by about 15 percent.

As a television host and model, Vanessa Yeung has traveled to many places for both work and pleasure.

Invited to offer a women's perspective at the exhibition's opening, Yueng described Paris as a very romantic place with its fashion, cosmetics and trendy accessories. Recently, she started learning French because there are many other places besides Paris that are worth visiting, and English is not generally understood.

She also likes Thailand because the country offers a lot of variety at reasonable prices. It has become a weekend getaway for many Hong Kong people, mainly because it is so close to Hong Kong.