Hong Kong logged 3.13 million visitor arrivals in June, according to provisional figures from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), 14 per cent more than in the same period last year when the city was emerging from three years of Covid-related isolation. However, arrival figures remained well below pre-pandemic figures.
In June 2018, Hong Kong saw 4.74 million arrivals, and 5.14 million visitor arrivals were recorded in 2019.
Last month’s total represented a decline of 34 per cent from 2018 and 39 per cent from 2019. Over 21 million visitors arrived in Hong Kong in the first six months of the year, according to the HKTB, a daily average of 116,000. The city’s tourism body has predicted that the city will see 46 million visitor arrivals this year.
HKTB said in a statement on Tuesday that visitors were “satisfied with their overall experience in Hong Kong,” adding that 50 per cent of those who visited in the first six months of 2024 were overnight visitors, staying for an average of 3.2 nights. Attractions popular with travellers surveyed by the HKTB as they left the city included the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade, Temple Street and Ladies’ Markets, the Peak, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Not included in the list were places that have found acclaim among mainland Chinese visitors – Hong Kong’s largest source market by far – after being featured in travel guides on Chinese social media apps such as Xiaohongshu. The sight of tourists queuing to take photographs has become commonplace outside the former Yau Ma Tei Police Station and in parts of Kennedy Town and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the latter of which has implemented new registration requirements after staff and students complained about visitors affecting campus life. Earlier this month, HKU announced that it would launch guided tours for tourists from July 25.
The trend reflects an evolution in tourists’ behaviour, with the HKTB earlier noting that both the “travel and consumption habits of visitors have changed.” Fewer people are visiting Hong Kong to shop, while more are in search of experiences – albeit not always those that cost money. Visitors are expected to spend 16 per cent less in Hong Kong in 2024 than last year .
In an effort to increase arrivals and boost the economy, the government has sought to position Hong Kong as the “events capital of Asia,” highlighting existing large-scale happenings such as the Hong Kong Sevens, Art Basel Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Marathon to drive tourism. Last month, the city’s deputy finance chief Michael Wong predicted that the 210 “mega events” calendared for 2024 would add HK$4.3 billion to the economy .
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