The Tourism Board on Tuesday said visitor arrivals reached 5.46 million in August, making it the highest monthly figure since the Covid pandemic.

The figure, a provisional one, represented a year-on-year increase of six percent.

The board attributed the growth to a number of major international meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions as well as mega events staged in the SAR.

These included the Hong Kong Football Festival, which “attracted a diverse range of visitors and helped drive visitor arrivals from the Chinese mainland, Singapore, the United Kingdom and other source markets”.

The number of visits by tourists from long-haul markets recorded the greatest increase of 18 percent to about 289,490.

In the first eight months of the year, total tourist figures hit 36.67 million, up 11 percent from a year ago.

“Among these, the Chinese mainland and long-haul markets maintained stable overall performance,” the board said in a statement.

“Visitor growth in short-haul markets continued to face challenges owing to factors such as flight capacity, fuel surcharges and regional competition.”

Short-haul visits slipped four percent to about four million during the January to August period.

Looking ahead, the board said it would step up promotions for upcoming festivals such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and Halloween as well as expand the scale of flagship mega events to lure visitors.

It would also continue to work with the tourism and business sectors to promote experiences exclusive to Hong Kong, attract more high-value-added overnight travellers and boost the economy.



Edited by Tony Sabine