Vicky Wong used to struggle to find Christmas gifts for her work colleagues. After all, what do you buy for someone you don't know that well and who probably has most things they need? That was why the 43-year-old senior marketing manager turned to "experience gifts" as she grappled with the dilemma of what present to buy for two employees in her Hong Kong office.
Rather than buy them clothes, handbags or pieces of jewellery, she bought one of them a masterclass in chocolate making and the other a guided tour of Hong Kong's best beaches.
"It was all very easy," Vicky said. "The vouchers came in a very nice gift box and were delivered to them in the office which was a nice touch. They were so impressed and surprised."
Vicky is one of a growing number of people turning to experience gifts as an alternative to conventional Christmas presents - and the industry providing the experiences is booming.
Today, the range of experience gifts available include a day on a pirate ship, a weekend retreat at luxury spa or a recording studio session where you can make your own CD.
A few Christmases ago one would have struggled to find an experience gift provider in Asia. Japan's Sow Experience launched in 2005, followed by UniQgift in Singapore in 2008.
In Hong Kong, the trend has only caught on in the last 12 months with Red Packet appearing at the end of last year, followed by Spoilt in February, and more recently TaDa! in October.
Browse the websites of these three companies and you will find a huge range of experiences ranging in price from 300 to 18,000 Hong Kong dollars (38 to 2,300 US dollars).
For friends and loved ones who enjoy an adrenaline rush there is the chance to go kite-surfing, drive a Formula One racing car, go snowboarding in China or sail a pirate ship in Hong Kong harbour.
Foodies can enjoy a cookery class with a master chef, dine out or indulge in a chocolate experience, while the more creative can take a film-making or photography class, a pole-dancing class or even record a life-story documentary.
It's an entirely new concept to Hong Kong says Gerard Belicha, founder and managing director of Red Packet, but one which is catching on fast.
"We launched just before Christmas last year with only a couple of outlets to handle. Now we have more than 70. It has really grown exponentially," said Belicha.
"So far the feedback has been phenomenal. After just one year, we actually have distributor companies wanting to be our experience partners and approaching us. That leaves me in no doubt that we will see the market growing by a multiple every year."
Surveys by American Express in Britain found that last year 35 per cent of gift-buyers planned to give experience gifts compared to 20 per cent in 2001.
The concept is popular across Europe, Laurent Crouet, general manager of TaDa!, said France's experience gift market is worth around 400 million US dollars a year. Crouet believes Hong Kong and the rest of Asia will embrace the concept and said the company had done extensive market research prior to launch.
"The difficult thing for us was explaining to people how they can offer a gift that is not tangible," he said.
"Chinese culture is geared towards the tangible. That is why people here invest massively in property. That was our first barrier." Red Packet's Belicha added, "A lot of people in Hong Kong already have a lot of possessions. They are looking for more intangible treats and experiences and something new."
According to Michelle Lam, founder of Spoilt, the experience gift-buyer tends to be aged between 25 and 40, with the most popular choices including the chocolate masterclass, a flight simulator session and a Formula One driving experience.
"The difference between a traditional gift and an experience gift is that when you give someone an experience, you are giving a day out which produces memories," Lam said.
Lam insists the person who unwraps an experience rather than a present on Christmas Day will not be disappointed.
"There is nothing to compete with a memory. The thing about a memory is that it lasts forever," she said. "You can tell people about it. You can't break it or lose it. It's with you for life."
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