Hong Kong records 34 mln visits in 2023 as tourism rebounds

HONG KONG, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong received approximately 34 million visits in 2023, with nearly 4 million arrivals in December, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said Saturday.

Through 2023, the Chinese mainland remains the largest source of visitors to Hong Kong, with ideal numbers during the May Day holiday, summer vacation and the Golden Week in October.

The Southeast Asian market has shown the fastest recovery, with the number of visitors from the Philippines and Thailand in December surpassing pre-pandemic levels (averaged from 2017 to 2018), reaching a recovery rate of 116 percent and 106 percent, respectively.

Analyzing by type of travelers, the volume of visitors for conferences, exhibitions and incentive tourism has recovered to around 70 percent of pre-pandemic levels, making it the fastest-recovering segment and surpassing the leisure tourism segment.

Among the visitors to Hong Kong, half of them are overnight tourists, which is a higher proportion compared to pre-pandemic levels. On average, they stay in Hong Kong for 3.6 nights, which is longer than before the pandemic.

According to a survey conducted by the HKTB, the satisfaction rating of overnight tourists is 8.7 out of 10, also surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

In 2024, the HKTB will tailor their promotional efforts to different source markets, aiming to significantly increase visitors' willingness to choose Hong Kong as their preferred travel destination, said Dane Cheng, HKTB's executive director.

By organizing grand events, the HKTB seeks to expand the tourism sector's contribution to the economy and drive the steady growth of Hong Kong's tourism industry, Cheng said.