Hong Kong arrivals surge in 2012
Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong jumped 15.5% to 22.3 million in the first six months of the year.
According to the latest data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the growth was driven by a major surge in the number of tourists from mainland China, which now account for almost 70% of total visitor traffic, having risen 22.7% to 15.3m in the first half of 2012.
“We are encouraged to see that amidst the global economic uncertainties, our tourism industry reported satisfactory growth during the first half of the year,” said HKTB Chairman James Tien. “Other than mainland China, growth was recorded in the overall short-haul and long-haul arrival figures, with Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Russia achieving outstanding performances.”
Boosted by recovering Japanese traffic, arrivals from Northeast Asia increased 7.7% to 1.2m in the first half, while visitation from South and Southeast Asia edged up 0.7% to 1.8m. Arrivals from Taiwan however, fell 5.7% as more Taiwanese took advantage of new opportunities to visit mainland China.
Long-haul markets also fared well, with arrivals from the Americas climbing 1.4% to 898,900 and those from EMEA increasing 4.6% to 1.1m. There was a slight decline in arrivals from Australia and New Zealand however, with visitor numbers dipping 0.3% to 369,800.
“Looking into the latter half of this year, we remain cautiously optimistic about the industry outlook, even though the global economy remains volatile, which will inevitably impact the demand for travel. To address this, the HKTB will be closely monitoring changes in the macro environment. We will maintain flexibility in adapting our marketing strategies and make our best efforts to maintain a balanced portfolio of visitors. We have already planned the launch of a series of mega events in the coming months to further enhance Hong Kong’s appeal and provide our tourism partners with different business platforms,” Tien added.