The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has quietly reached a milestone that once looked years away: inbound visitor arrivals from January through November 2025 hit roughly 45 million, already surpassing the full-year total for 2024, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law announced at a media briefing on 6 December. The 12 % year-on-year expansion is being credited to an aggressive calendar of "mega-events," led by co-hosting duties for the 15th National Games with neighbouring Guangdong province and Macao.
Officials singled out the Kai Tak Sports Park—Hong Kong’s new US$4.3 billion stadium complex—which opened in March and served as a flagship National Games venue. The complex has become a focal point for newly launched Greater Bay Area (GBA) package tours linking sports spectatorship with short-haul sightseeing across Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou. Travel agents say the bundled products have been particularly attractive to mainland visitors making repeat leisure trips as border formalities continue to ease.
![Hong Kong tops pre-pandemic visitor numbers as 45 million arrivals logged in first 11 months]()
The numbers matter for mobility managers because HKSAR tourism data are a proxy for the region’s overall cross-border fluidity. According to Immigration Department data, the majority of the 45 million arrivals entered via land checkpoints, reflecting pent-up demand for day trips and short business hops from Guangdong—traffic that feeds directly into corporate shuttle programmes and same-day service work orders. Airlines, meanwhile, are ramping up frequencies: Cathay Pacific has restored 90 % of pre-COVID seat capacity into Hong Kong, while Shenzhen Airlines has applied for twice-daily slots at Chek Lap Kok starting in the spring timetable.
Retail and F&B operators are already feeling the lift. The Hong Kong Retail Management Association reports that same-store sales in tourist-heavy districts climbed 18 % year on year in October and November, while hotel occupancy averaged 85 % during the National Games fortnight. Consultants at Colliers expect full-year tourist spending to top HK$140 billion (US$18 billion), approaching 2019 levels.
Looking ahead, the Tourism Board will launch a "Belt, Bay & Beyond" marketing push timed for the Lunar New Year rush, while border authorities are piloting additional e-gate channels to reduce peak-hour wait times at the Shenzhen Bay Port. For companies running mobility programmes, the message is clear: capacity is back, demand is surging, and cross-border moves within the GBA are once again a viable, time-efficient option.
Officials singled out the Kai Tak Sports Park—Hong Kong’s new US$4.3 billion stadium complex—which opened in March and served as a flagship National Games venue. The complex has become a focal point for newly launched Greater Bay Area (GBA) package tours linking sports spectatorship with short-haul sightseeing across Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou. Travel agents say the bundled products have been particularly attractive to mainland visitors making repeat leisure trips as border formalities continue to ease.
The numbers matter for mobility managers because HKSAR tourism data are a proxy for the region’s overall cross-border fluidity. According to Immigration Department data, the majority of the 45 million arrivals entered via land checkpoints, reflecting pent-up demand for day trips and short business hops from Guangdong—traffic that feeds directly into corporate shuttle programmes and same-day service work orders. Airlines, meanwhile, are ramping up frequencies: Cathay Pacific has restored 90 % of pre-COVID seat capacity into Hong Kong, while Shenzhen Airlines has applied for twice-daily slots at Chek Lap Kok starting in the spring timetable.
Retail and F&B operators are already feeling the lift. The Hong Kong Retail Management Association reports that same-store sales in tourist-heavy districts climbed 18 % year on year in October and November, while hotel occupancy averaged 85 % during the National Games fortnight. Consultants at Colliers expect full-year tourist spending to top HK$140 billion (US$18 billion), approaching 2019 levels.
Looking ahead, the Tourism Board will launch a "Belt, Bay & Beyond" marketing push timed for the Lunar New Year rush, while border authorities are piloting additional e-gate channels to reduce peak-hour wait times at the Shenzhen Bay Port. For companies running mobility programmes, the message is clear: capacity is back, demand is surging, and cross-border moves within the GBA are once again a viable, time-efficient option.
