Hong Kong welcomed 49.9 million visitors in 2025—an annual rise of 12 %—with mainland Chinese travellers accounting for 37.8 million entries (76 % of the total), the Hong Kong Tourism Board reported on 19 January 2026. December alone saw 4.65 million arrivals, underscoring the territory’s sustained recovery since border controls were lifted in early 2024.
The resurgence has tangible mobility implications. Hotel occupancy in prime business districts averaged 87 % in Q4 2025, pushing average daily rates 19 % higher than the previous year. Corporate-housing providers are warning of tight inventory ahead of April’s Canton Fair spill-over and June’s Art Basel Hong Kong. Employers relocating staff into the Greater Bay Area may need to secure serviced-apartment leases several months in advance or explore Shenzhen options linked by the reopened West Kowloon high-speed rail line.
![Mainland Visitors Drive Hong Kong to Near-50 Million Arrival Record]()
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) can streamline visa procurement for both Hong Kong and mainland China. The service offers real-time policy updates, tailored document checklists and expedited processing options, enabling mobility managers and event planners to keep relocation or conference timelines on track despite tighter travel and accommodation windows.
The data also reflect improving air-rail integration. Airport Express ridership climbed 22 % year-on-year, while cross-boundary coach traffic via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge hit a record 14,000 daily passengers during peak holiday periods. These multimodal flows make Hong Kong an even more attractive hub for meetings and incentive travel, especially for mainland firms taking advantage of the SAR’s visa-on-arrival scheme for select nationalities.
Looking ahead, the Tourism Board plans digital-border trials that will allow eligible mainland visitors to use facial-recognition e-channels without prior enrolment—a move expected to shave processing time to under 15 seconds and further smooth people flows. Mobility managers should, however, monitor accommodation costs and factor capacity constraints into event planning through at least Q2 2026.
The resurgence has tangible mobility implications. Hotel occupancy in prime business districts averaged 87 % in Q4 2025, pushing average daily rates 19 % higher than the previous year. Corporate-housing providers are warning of tight inventory ahead of April’s Canton Fair spill-over and June’s Art Basel Hong Kong. Employers relocating staff into the Greater Bay Area may need to secure serviced-apartment leases several months in advance or explore Shenzhen options linked by the reopened West Kowloon high-speed rail line.
Against this backdrop, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/china/) can streamline visa procurement for both Hong Kong and mainland China. The service offers real-time policy updates, tailored document checklists and expedited processing options, enabling mobility managers and event planners to keep relocation or conference timelines on track despite tighter travel and accommodation windows.
The data also reflect improving air-rail integration. Airport Express ridership climbed 22 % year-on-year, while cross-boundary coach traffic via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge hit a record 14,000 daily passengers during peak holiday periods. These multimodal flows make Hong Kong an even more attractive hub for meetings and incentive travel, especially for mainland firms taking advantage of the SAR’s visa-on-arrival scheme for select nationalities.
Looking ahead, the Tourism Board plans digital-border trials that will allow eligible mainland visitors to use facial-recognition e-channels without prior enrolment—a move expected to shave processing time to under 15 seconds and further smooth people flows. Mobility managers should, however, monitor accommodation costs and factor capacity constraints into event planning through at least Q2 2026.
