Hong Kong, long a crossroads of commerce and culture, has welcomed 26.7 million visitors in the first half of this year — a 13 percent rise that places it second only to Bangkok among the world's most-visited cities. The opening of a new Terminal 2 at its international airport, part of a $14.5 billion expansion, has drawn low-cost carriers and broadened the city's reach across Asia, while a deliberate reimagining of Hong Kong's identity — from transactional hub to layered, livable destination — speaks to a deeper truth about what travel has become in the post-pandemic world. A city that once s