Arrival numbers surge

Ayra Wang

Hong Kong welcomed nearly 45 million visitors last year, a 31 percent year-on-year increase, according to the Tourism Board.

Of the 44.5 million tourists, about 75 percent, or 34 million, are from the mainland, up 27 percent from the year prior.

Non-mainland visitors rose to 10.5 million, up by 44 percent, among which over a million arrived in November and December, when the city's flight capacity increased.

Board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said HKTB exerted significant efforts to organize and promote major events last year as well as develop Muslim-friendly tourism.

"Leveraging various new measures announced by the central government and the new 'Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0,' together with our core tourism appeal, HKTB will do its best to step up promotions in target markets and visitor segments to attract visitors with a wide range of products and experiences," Cheng said.

"We hope to attract not only one-time visitors but those who look forward to visiting repeatedly."

For short-haul markets, HKTB recorded strong performances in Southeast Asian segments, especially the Philippines, which last year brought a record-breaking 1.2 million visitors.

Arrivals from Indonesia and Malaysia grew 43 and 50 percent year-on-year, respectively, and the number of Indian visitors surged over 70 percent from 2023.

Long-haul visitors from the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe grew over 50 percent year-on-year.

Overnight visitors accounted for half of total arrivals. The average length of stay was 3.2 nights. The average satisfaction rate of overnight visitors reached 8.8 on a scale of one to 10.

ayra.wang@singtaonewscorp.com