Mainland tourists boost Hong Kong tourism

Over 11.9 million international visitors in H1.

A 16.2% jump in visitor arrivals from mainland China boosted Hong Kong’s tourist traffic in the first half, offsetting declines from other markets.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board said the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong hit 7.84 million in the first six months. This means that some 66% of Hong Kong’s total visitor arrivals now come from the mainland.

Visitors from other markets however, fell in the first half of the year. Short-haul markets contributed 2.27 million visitors, 4.2% lower year-on-year. A 29.1% slump in visitors from Japan contributed to the decline. Long-haul markets also fell, down 4.1% to 1.51 million visitors in the January-June period.

Along with China, Hong Kong was boosted by other emerging markets. Arrivals from the GCC region (up 11.3% to 17,915), Russia (up 24.6% to 79.302) and Vietnam (up 13.8% to 35,085) all saw double-digit growth but from lower bases.

In total, the Hong Kong welcomed 11.9 million international visitors in the first half, 8.7% more than the same period in 2012.