The tourism sector saw robust growth with visitor numbers reaching 49.9 million in 2025, a 12 percent increase from the year before, according to the Tourism Board.

In a statement, the board said the positive trend was consistent throughout the year, with December alone seeing 4.65 million arrivals, a rise of 9 percent compared with the same period in 2024.

It said the majority of visitors came from the mainland, marking an 11 percent year-on-year increase and representing 76 percent of total arrivals.

International travel also grew in 2025, with approximately 12.1 million visits by non-mainland travellers, representing a 15 percent increase.

Several key markets showed particularly vigorous growth, with arrivals from Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Australia and the Middle East surging by 25 percent or more compared with 2024.

Other short-haul markets such as the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and India have recovered to meet or exceed pre-pandemic levels.

The board also said overnight visitors stayed an average of 3.1 nights throughout the year, and they reported high satisfaction, rating their Hong Kong experience 8.9 out of 10 according to its survey.