A growing number of individuals and private businesses are increasingly deciding to incorporate in Singapore and Hong Kong. Both countries offer a good infrastructure, with a pro-business and pro-talent culture which is reflected in the country’s immigration policies, regulatory environment, and the openness of its people. Moreover, their governments have ensured policies related to laws, regulations and taxation that promote the growth of entrepreneurship and commerce in their respective countries.

Hong Kong and Singapore have been consistently topping the list in the Doing Business Report compiled by the World Bank every year. This is due to the business-friendly policies followed in both the countries like low import and export costs, well-framed laws for protecting investors, and labour regulations that favour employers.

Both countries have again been ranked at the top of the list in the Doing Business 2010 Report. For the ‘Ease of doing business’ index, Singapore and Hong Kong are ranked at first and third positions respectively, whereas, for the ‘Starting a business index’, Singapore and Hong Kong are ranked at the third and eighteenth positions respectively.

Hong Kong as a Business Destination

As one of the rising economies in Asia, Hong Kong is a preferred choice for business incorporation for many entrepreneurs. Already recognized as South East Asia’s key financial services and investment hub, Hong Kong is poised to become the main international financial centre in Asia, and is vying with Shanghai, Tokyo and Singapore to claim the top spot.

Hong Kong is preferred as a home-base by many companies doing business in Asia. There are many U.S. and European multinational companies using it as a gateway to China, and similarly many mainland China businessmen are using Hong Kong holding companies for real-estate deals.

Hong Kong businesses can gain the tax benefits related with most tax havens without compromising on their image as in the case of being based in a tax haven. Around 109,000 new companies were registered in Hong Kong in 2009 alone, which is, a record for the city. Starting a new business is a quick and simple procedure.

To make it even more attractive to investors, the Hong Kong government wants to make it still quicker and easier to set up a corporation in the country. By early 2011, the government plans to set up electronic incorporation and registration of businesses, allowing a businessman anywhere in the world to set up a company in the country through the Internet in just a few minutes.

Singapore as a Business Destination

Singapore is a well developed and flourishing free market economy which has an open and corruption-free environment, a low tax regime and a per capita GDP at par with many developed countries in the west. It is the main centre for trading oil and other energy products, and is a key hub for currency trading.

The regulatory changes introduced by the Singapore authorities have attracted many international fund managers to transfer their operations to the city. While Japan and Hong Kong are the key players in the region’s hedge fund management field, Singapore is rising as one of the preferred Asian locations amongst hedge fund managers for fund start-ups. Singapore is climbing the hedge fund ladder at a quick pace due to the comparatively simple registration process, which is a critical issue when deciding the place to set-up.

Singapore is also keen to become an Islamic banking hub, predominantly in the area of wealth management and it working at setting up a regulatory system for the same. It will benefit greatly from being located near the Islamic states of Malaysia and Indonesia, and it has also attracted interest from Middle Eastern investors. Another key selling point is that unlike other jurisdictions, there is no need to rent or purchase a physical office in Singapore for incorporation. Virtual office services are legally permissible and can be easily set up by a local professional services firm. Singapore’s corporate tax rate is now at 17% and it allows many tax exemptions for new startup companies. Also, there is no capital gain tax in Singapore. All these factors make the country an ideal jurisdiction for business incorporation.

Hong Kong Disneyland is located on the island of Lantau, positioned to look out over Penny’s Bay and the Chinese Sea. Started as a joint operation between The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR government, Hong Kong Disneyland brings the magic of Disney to a whole new environment, respecting the aspects of the culture of the country where it makes its home. The park boasts 2 glamorous hotels, the Disneyland Hotel and Disney’s Hollywood Hotel.

Hong Kong Disneyland has some of the attractions that will be familiar to visitors of Disney’s other parks. Main Street looks like a piece of Americana transplanted, with the Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad for a trip around the park. There’s also Adventureland, with the exciting Jungle River Cruise and all of the animal sights and sounds. Tarzan has made his home in Adventureland, where guests can take a ride on a raft to cross to Tarzan Island where they can visit Tarzan’s Tree House. For those who love the movie The Lion King, there is a musical performance based on the story as well – The Festival of the Lion King.

In the original Disneyland, Fantasyland is well known for the symbol that people think of when speaking of Disney – Cinderella’s Castle. Hong Kong Disneyland’s version is the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where children can explore the fairy tale and their own imagination. They can also visit the grotto of another Disney princess, Snow White. Cinderella is there too, represented by a beautiful carousel ride. There’s everyone’s favorite bear at The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. More popular Disney rides include the Mad Hatter Tea Cups and Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Children and grown-ups can watch a 3-D movie with all the favorite Disney characters at Mickey’s PhilharMagic or The Golden Mickeys at Disney’s Storybook Theater.

The fourth area, Tommorrowland, gives visitors a Disney vision of the future. The three main attractions include 2 of the fastest most exciting rides in the park. Space Mountain is a literally rocketing rollercoaster. Orbitron lets you pilot your own jet through the sky of whirling planets. You can also play a cosmic game of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters with the whole family.

Visitors can choose to stay inside the park at one of the two beautiful new hotels. The Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is designed to take you back in time to the grandness of the Victorian era. The European influence is obvious in the 400 luxuriously appointed rooms. Guests can enjoy spa services at the hotel as well. At Disney’s Hollywood Hotel, the 600 guest rooms are decorated in an art deco style, meant to bring back the allure of the golden age of Hollywood.

Although the park exposes local visitors to traditions and exhibits from the Western world, local culture is honored as well. At the opening ceremonies children sang in English, Cantonese and Putonghua. The Hong Kong Children’s Choir was followed by other local traditional performances such as Chinese acrobats and dancers performing a Lion Dance. The culture of the Hong Kong region is also reflected in the cuisine served throughout the park. Yes, guests can find food that is more often served in the West, but also local dishes that they’ll enjoy as well.

Hong Kong is among the largest monetary centers in the world, and, great for both pleasure as well as business. Hong Kong is an ideal place for everyone who really wants to be introduced to the cultures of China without having to miss the ways of the brand new. It is a very important center for global trade and finance making it one of the Four Tigers of Asia because of its high and rapid economic development and growth particularly during the sixties through the nineties. Its stock market is actually ranked as the sixth largest in the world.

Visiting Hong Kong is a very enriching experience with its many large and modern buildings, shopping malls, active nightlife, theme parks, museums and restaurants. You can also visit elegant museums and large selection of Chinese art and crafts from the many exhibit and gallery centers. Of course, don’t miss the recently built Hong Kong Disneyland that needs no introduction, Ocean Park, Water World, Victoria Peak, 100,00 Buddhas Monastery, Hong Kong Space Museum and its wet market. Of course, remember to taste the initial Chinese noodles that are simply delicious.

Climate: The environment in Hong Kong from November to December is generally pleasant with cool breezes and plenty of sunshine. People think about these months the best in the year. Almost half of the year, its temperature is considered very comfy, just already been the hot and the cold. The months of January and February experience cloudy weathers and periodic cold fronts and it is normal to obtain really cold during these months. Mild weather and high humidity are experience from March to April but higher grounds experience fogs and frequent drizzles. May through August may be the hot and humid while tropical storms occur from July to September.

Transportation: Hong Kong is popular for its double-decked tram systems, the only one of its type in the world. It is also known for its Star Ferry that travels across Victoria Harbor. Its other transportation networks are extremely modern day with a public transport card called the Octopus Card that is widely to board trains, buses, ferries and as a debit card for purchases in some outlets around the state. The Hong Kong International Airport is also most significant and busiest airports in the world with over 47 million passengers every year.