Hong Kong records 17% rise in November visitors as numbers near full-year target
City nears 49 million target, with 45.2 million visitors so far as mega-events and new venues draw tourists from mainland China and beyond
Hong Kong welcomed 4.2 million visitors in November, a 17 per cent rise compared with the same month last year, bringing arrival numbers for the first 11 months close to the full-year forecast.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board announced on Monday that between January and November, arrivals rose 12 per cent to 45.2 million. The city recorded double-digit growth among both mainland Chinese visitors and non-mainland travellers from long-haul, short-haul and emerging markets.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said earlier that she was confident Hong Kong would reach its target of 49 million visitors for the whole year, boosted by mega-events and the opening of the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium – the city’s latest performance venue.
Visitors from the mainland accounted for about 73 per cent of the total in November and 76 per cent over the first 11 months.
During the period, non-mainland long-haul visitors led the growth, rising by 19 per cent to 3.16 million, followed by short-haul travellers, up 17 per cent to 5.85 million. Overall, the number of non-mainland visitors increased by 16 per cent to 10.77 million.
“The overall situation has not changed much over the past few months,” said Gary Ng Cheuk-yan, a senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Bank.