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Hong Kong is eager to serve as Hainan’s premier global gateway while welcoming more visitors from the island province to experience the city’s unique cultural charm, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Tuesday.
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Speaking at the Hainan Tourism Promotion Event in Hong Kong, Cheuk highlighted the close geographical proximity and deep-rooted friendship between the two regions, expressing strong optimism for more profound and practical bilateral cooperation in the future.
Cheuk noted that Hong Kong welcomed approximately 50 million visitors in 2025, including 12 million non-mainland travelers—representing a 15 percent increase from the previous year.
In the first five months of this year, arrivals grew 14 percent year-on-year to 23 million, with non-mainland visitors hitting 5.3 million.
Notably, around 20 percent of overseas visitors choose to enter the mainland through Hong Kong each year, fully demonstrating the city’s pivotal “bridging in” role in attracting global travelers.
He said that this connectivity is set to strengthen following the central government’s expansion of the 240-Hour Visa-free Transit Policy for foreign travelers last year, which designated four additional Hong Kong border control points.
This policy expansion, he added, provides robust structural support for overseas visitors to embark on seamless, multi-destination tours covering Hainan and other mainland provinces via Hong Kong.
