The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced that 2022 recorded a provisional full-year visitor arrivals of 600,000. Since the Government gradually lifted various pandemic-related inbound control measures, visitor arrivals have picked up gradually in the past few months, with most visitors coming from the Mainland and Southeast Asian markets.
In addition to overnight stopover and family reunion, business travellers also start to increase in number. HKTB expected that Hong Kong’s tourism will be revived progressively, and has gradually stepped up promotions in advance in selected visitor source markets to broadcast the positive message that Hong Kong is welcoming back visitors. HKTB will also launch a large-scale global promotion in phase (see appendix) to drive the swift revival of the tourism industry jointly with the travel trade.
HKTB to Launch Large-scale Global Promotions Next Month in Phases with Three Strategies to Welcome Visitors
• Hong Kong’s doors of tourism has been opened. Recent figures reveal that daily visitor arrivals to Hong Kong has increased from between 2,400 and 4,500 per day during the Amber Code period to over 10,000 per day after the lifting of Amber Code.
• The major sources of visitors are, in order, the Mainland, the Philippines, Taiwan, the United States and Thailand.
• In terms of purpose of visit, apart from overnight stopovers, family visits, business trips or essential travels, there was also a slight increase in leisure arrivals since the lifting of all COVID-19 inbound control measures at the end of December.
Tourism expected to take time to recover
• HKTB expects that Hong Kong’s tourism will gradually recover , subject to the following factors:
1. Airline capacity has not yet been fully restored
2. Shortage of manpower in the tourism and related sectors
3. Uncertain economic outlook and concerns arising from current exchange rates
4. Some markets still impose inbound control measures on visitors arriving from the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, which travellers may find inconvenient when returning home
• In light of the latest situation, it is expected that visitors mainly come from certain markets, including the Mainland and Southeast Asia.
• Therefore, HKTB will timely step up its promotion efforts in phases according to the actual situation of individual markets to ensure that the resources are well spent and maximise the effectiveness of promotional initiatives.
Continuous Promotions of Hong Kong’s Appeal
• The HKTB has stepped up publicity in some markets in advance to spread the message that all sectors in Hong Kong are welcoming back visitors.
1. HKTB has invited travel trade, media, KOLs and Hong Kong Super Fans from around the world to enjoy the Hong Kong experience first-hand (Seeing is Believing).
2. HKTB has organised a number of mega familiarisation trip for overseas travel trade since mid-December, hosting about 100 travel trade representatives from Southeast Asia, South Korea and other markets with more than 250 business appointments lined up with the local travel trade.
3. HKTB has lined up about 1,300 travel trade appointments, connecting 840 local travel trade members with buyers and trade representatives from 140 regions/ markets.
4. HKTB has invited K-pop sensation Jeong Ji-hoon (Rain) and arranged attraction visits for internationally renowned DJ Alan Walker to explore Hong Kong.
5. HKTB has been promoting Hong Kong’s arts and culture, sports, culinary and festive events and experience continuously to attract global media reports and strengthen positive exposure. Large-scale global promotions to launch next month
• HKTB will launch large-scale global promotions next month with three strategies to drive tourism
revival:
