HK welcomes 680,000 visitors over CNY holiday

Hong Kong has welcomed nearly 680,000 visitors over the Lunar New Year holiday, from 29 to 31 January, marking an annual increase of about 6%, said the city’s finance chief Paul Chan.

In his weekly blog on Sunday (2 February), Chan said among these visitors, mainland visitors increased by around 4%, while overseas visitors rose by around 16%. Many hotels are nearly fully booked and numerous shops offer various promotions to attract customers.

Moreover, Chan said some workers in the food and beverage industry have reported that this year's Chinese New Year business revenue has increased by over 10%. In popular areas with a higher concentration of tourists, many families are spending significantly more, with some even spending about 20% more than usual.

Regarding the festive horse racing on the third day of the Chinese New Year, betting amounts saw a 10% increase compared to last year, surpassing HK$1.9 billion. Theme parks were quite busy during the Chinese New Year period, according to Chan. 

“With robust foot traffic and a generally positive atmosphere in the market, consumer confidence is gradually improving and recovering,” Chan said. 

“In fact, during the Chinese New Year, Hong Kong hosted many unique activities that attracted a significant number of domestic and international visitors to experience the festive spirit. From the flower markets, fireworks displays, and Che Kung Temple celebrations to the Chinese New Year horse races and the festive cup featuring world-renowned football legends, many tourists were present. These various holiday events allowed them to better appreciate Hong Kong's vibrant blend of tradition and innovation,” he added. 

In the retail and food and beverage sectors, Chan said the key to success is effectively attracting both customers and revenue. By developing new products, exploring markets, and nurturing growth areas, Hong Kong can achieve improved and accelerated economic growth.

“In the future, we will continue to promote the development of AI in Hong Kong by focusing on talent, data, computing power, algorithms, and application scenarios. We aim to advance the transformation and application of research results centred around AI, with the goal of turning innovative technology into tangible social and economic benefits,” Chan said.

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On the other hand, Hong Kong Tourism Board’s (HKTB) executive director Dane Cheng said on Commercial Radio’s radio programmer Saturday Forum (政經星期六) on Saturday that, the number of overnight visitors during the Chinese New Year was comparable to typical periods, with over 90% of hotels fully booked. Last year, overnight visitors made up half of all travellers to Hong Kong, averaging a stay of 3.2 nights. There has been an increasing number of non-mainland visitors to Hong Kong.

There has been an upward trend in the number of visitors to Hong Kong from the beginning of the year leading up to the Chinese New Year, according to Cheng. He stressed that the focus is not just on increasing numbers, but on providing visitors with a positive experience in Hong Kong. The HKTB will support promotional efforts of the government’s "Blueprint for arts and culture and creative industries development” (文藝創意產業發展藍圖), including several large events such as Hong Kong Marathon next week and Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament.

Regarding cruise tourism, Cheng said last year saw an increase in the number of cruise visitors to Hong Kong, who did not use the city as a home port, surpassing previous years with a 50% rise in traveller numbers.

Meanwhile, Travel Industry Council's chairman Ma Ho Fai said on TVB's programme On The Record (講清講楚) that by the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, over 1,600 tour groups had been recorded, totaling more than 58,000 visitors. Preliminary estimates indicate that nearly 2,000 mainland travel groups are expected to visit Hong Kong during this year's peak Chinese New Year period, a number similar to last year's.

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