Hong Kong’s tourism and immigration authorities have confirmed that the city handled roughly 45 million inbound passenger arrivals between January and November 2025, already eclipsing the 40.1 million recorded for the whole of 2024. Speaking at a 6 December media briefing, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law attributed the 12 % year-on-year surge to an aggressive calendar of “mega-events” – most visibly Hong Kong’s co-hosting of the 15th National Games with Guangdong and Macao. The new HK$34 billion (US $4.3 billion) Kai Tak Sports Park has been a focal point, drawing spectators into bundled Greater Bay Area packages that combine sports tickets with short-haul sightseeing across Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou.
From a mobility perspective, the headline number is a barometer of how fully cross-border fluidity has normalised. Immigration Department data show that land boundary checkpoints, not the airport, processed the majority of travellers – a sign that same-day trips and short business hops from Guangdong have roared back. Corporates that shelved in-person assignments during COVID-19 are dusting off shuttle programmes and reinstating “day-trip” service contracts for engineers and client-facing staff.
![Hong Kong surpasses pre-pandemic traffic with 45 million arrivals in first 11 months of 2025]()
Airlines are responding in kind. Cathay Pacific says it has restored 90 % of its pre-pandemic seat capacity into Chek Lap Kok, while Shenzhen Airlines has applied for twice-daily Hong Kong slots in the summer 2026 timetable. Hotel occupancy averaged 85 % during the National Games fortnight and the Hong Kong Retail Management Association reports tourist-district sales up 18 % in October-November.
For travelers needing to square away visas before joining this renewed traffic flow, VisaHQ can remove much of the administrative friction. The online platform coordinates Hong Kong pre-arrival registrations, China multi-entry permits and rapid document couriering, helping individuals and corporate mobility teams keep pace with compressed event schedules and last-minute itinerary changes. More details can be found at https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/.
Consultants at Colliers forecast that full-year visitor spending will top HK$140 billion (US $18 billion), closing in on the 2019 record. Looking ahead, the Tourism Board is readying a “Belt, Bay & Beyond” promotional blitz timed for the Lunar New Year rush, while border authorities plan to add more e-gates at Shenzhen Bay Port to alleviate peak-hour queues. For global-mobility managers the take-away is clear: capacity is back, demand is surging and Hong Kong-centric assignments across the Pearl River Delta are once again time-efficient and commercially attractive.
From a mobility perspective, the headline number is a barometer of how fully cross-border fluidity has normalised. Immigration Department data show that land boundary checkpoints, not the airport, processed the majority of travellers – a sign that same-day trips and short business hops from Guangdong have roared back. Corporates that shelved in-person assignments during COVID-19 are dusting off shuttle programmes and reinstating “day-trip” service contracts for engineers and client-facing staff.
Airlines are responding in kind. Cathay Pacific says it has restored 90 % of its pre-pandemic seat capacity into Chek Lap Kok, while Shenzhen Airlines has applied for twice-daily Hong Kong slots in the summer 2026 timetable. Hotel occupancy averaged 85 % during the National Games fortnight and the Hong Kong Retail Management Association reports tourist-district sales up 18 % in October-November.
For travelers needing to square away visas before joining this renewed traffic flow, VisaHQ can remove much of the administrative friction. The online platform coordinates Hong Kong pre-arrival registrations, China multi-entry permits and rapid document couriering, helping individuals and corporate mobility teams keep pace with compressed event schedules and last-minute itinerary changes. More details can be found at https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/.
Consultants at Colliers forecast that full-year visitor spending will top HK$140 billion (US $18 billion), closing in on the 2019 record. Looking ahead, the Tourism Board is readying a “Belt, Bay & Beyond” promotional blitz timed for the Lunar New Year rush, while border authorities plan to add more e-gates at Shenzhen Bay Port to alleviate peak-hour queues. For global-mobility managers the take-away is clear: capacity is back, demand is surging and Hong Kong-centric assignments across the Pearl River Delta are once again time-efficient and commercially attractive.
