Tourist arrivals surge 17.9% to 6.59 million in December

There were over 5.12 million tourists from the Mainland.

Hong Kong’s visitor arrivals extended their upward trend after rising 17.9% YoY to 6.59 million in December, according to data from the Tourism Board. 

The number of visitors from the Mainland rose 21% to 5.12 million thanks to new transport links including the US$11b high-speed rail network that connects 44 cities in the Mainland. 

North Asia figures also rose 8.9% to 262,995 whilst South & Southeast Asia grew 5.3% to 429,666. Visitors from Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific also edged up 10.7% to 73,474.

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The number of tourists from long-haul markets like the Americas and the Europe, Africa & Middle East hit 166,906 and 188,382 respectively.

Hotel room occupancy also rose 2 percentage points to 94% as the hospitality business benefited from higher tourist numbers.