HK noses out Macau with 750k tourists over CNY

Hong Kong welcomed nearly 750,000 tourists, surpassing Macau by 40,000 visitors during the four-day Lunar New Year holiday.

According to the Tourism Board, over 650,000 mainland tourists visited the SAR between Saturday and Tuesday, accounting for more than 80 percent of the total number of visitors.

The board reported that the number of mainland tourists during the period exceeded the figure from the same period in 2018, which was 640,000.

Over 3.8 million tourists visited Hong Kong last month, which is equivalent to 72 percent of the number of visitors during the same period in 2018. Among these visitors, nearly three million were mainland tourists.

The board expressed satisfaction, saying "there were around two million visitors in the first half of February, with the daily average equivalent to 83 percent of the overall average for February 2018."

To attract visitors, the administration promoted several festive events, including the International Chinese New Year Night Parade on Saturday night, a fireworks display on Sunday, the Chinese New Year Race day on Monday and the Lunar New Year Cup on Tuesday.

According to the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, all the events were a hit among tourists and locals alike. "These festive events showcased Hong Kong's diverse culture, blending eastern and western influences, and attracted tourists who wanted to experience the city's unique Lunar New Year atmosphere."

The bureau said a total of 1,200 mainland tour groups, involving 40,500 tourists, visited Hong Kong. It emphasized that the number of inbound mainland tour groups and tourists exceeded the figures from the same period before the pandemic. The overall hotel occupancy rate reached 90 percent.

Meanwhile, Macau welcomed around 700,000 visitors during the long weekend, 42,000 fewer than Hong Kong. About 520,000 mainland tourists visited Macau during this period, which was 130,000 fewer than the number of mainland tourists in Hong Kong. Macau also organized parades and fireworks on Monday, attracting nearly 210,000 tourists on that single day.

Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, said that the number of tourists during the four-day holiday was "in line with expectations."

Yeung encouraged tourists to visit other cities in the Greater Bay Area, suggesting that they could enjoy different events and experience other attractions.

According to the Immigration Department, over 1.6 million people departed Hong Kong between Friday and Tuesday, with 70 percent of them, or approximately 1.16 million, traveling to the mainland via land.

The department also reported that over 1.1 million individuals entered or exited the SAR on Tuesday, including over 644,000 arrivals, among which 442,000 were Hong Kong residents.