15th January 2025 – (Hong Kong) The Hong Kong Tourism Board has unveiled preliminary figures indicating that nearly 45 million visitors flocked to the city last year, marking a major increase of 31% compared to 2023. December alone saw an impressive 4.26 million arrivals, reflecting an 8% year-on-year rise.
Mainland China continued to dominate as the largest source of visitors, contributing approximately 34 million arrivals—an increase of 27%, which accounts for around three-quarters of the total tourist figures. Key holiday periods, including the Lunar New Year and Labour Day, also reported strong visitor numbers.
In addition, the data revealed that non-Mainland visitor arrivals reached 10.5 million, a 44% increase from the previous year. With ongoing enhancements to air travel capacity, non-Mainland arrivals surpassed one million in both November and December, demonstrating robust demand. Southeast Asia emerged as a particularly strong market, with the Philippines achieving a record high of nearly 1.2 million visitors to Hong Kong, a notable 50% increase. Indonesia and Malaysia also saw significant growth, with increases of 43% and 50%, respectively, while the Indian market experienced a remarkable rise of over 70%.
Long-haul markets, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe, benefited from a gradual recovery in air travel capacity, resulting in a 50% increase in arrivals from these regions. Canada and Australia notably excelled in the fourth quarter.
Half of all visitors were overnight guests, staying an average of 3.2 nights. According to the Tourism Board’s visitor satisfaction survey, overnight guests rated their experience at 8.8 out of 10, while 94% expressed a willingness to return to Hong Kong or recommend it to others, with all three metrics surpassing the levels recorded in 2023.
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