HK sees post-pandemic high with 5.15m visitors in August

The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced on Tuesday that the city welcomed a preliminary figure of 5.15 million visitors in August, marking a 16 percent increase compared to the same period last year and setting a new post-pandemic monthly record.

Cumulative data from January to August shows approximately 33 million visitor arrivals, representing a 12 percent year-on-year growth. Among them, 25.53 million were mainland Chinese visitors, while non-mainland visitors reached 7.65 million, recording double-digit increases of 11 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

According to the Tourism Board, mainland Chinese visitors in August rose by 15 percent year-on-year, totaling over 4.223 million. Non-mainland visitors also saw significant growth, increasing by 17 percent to 929,000. Within this category, short-haul travelers reached 482,000, up 17 percent, while long-haul visitors surged by 23 percent to 245,000.

In the first eight months of the year, visitor numbers from short-haul markets grew by 18 percent compared to the same period last year, with particularly strong performances from Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

Long-haul markets also saw robust growth, rising by 19 percent, with Australia leading the increase.

(Marco Lam)