Pent-up demand for cross-border leisure travel translated into 1.16 million visitor arrivals between 15 and 20 February, according to provisional Immigration Department figures released on Saturday. Mainland residents accounted for 980,000 entries, reaffirming China’s position as Hong Kong’s largest tourism market.(en.people.cn)
The strong influx followed the scrapping of most pandemic-era testing requirements and the addition of extra high-speed rail and bus services from Guangdong. Retailers in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay reported sales increases of 18–22 per cent compared with the same holiday week last year. Jewellery chain Chow Tai Fook said average transaction values by Mainland shoppers were up 11 per cent, driven by the favourable renminbi exchange rate.
Hotels also benefited: data from the Hong Kong Hotel Association show average occupancy reached 91 per cent, with room rates 14 per cent higher year-on-year. The industry attributed the improvement partly to the government’s “Night Vibes Hong Kong” campaign, which extended opening hours at major attractions and ran late-night harbour-front events.
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Travellers planning future trips should also keep visa requirements in mind: VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) provides step-by-step guidance and application services for Hong Kong and dozens of other destinations, helping both leisure visitors and corporate mobility teams save time and avoid paperwork surprises.
While the overall figure fell short of the Tourism Board’s earlier projection of 1.4 million visitors, analysts say the trend is still encouraging. “The main constraint was transport capacity, not demand,” noted CLSA travel analyst Marianne Wong, pointing to seat shortages on cross-border rail during peak days. The Transport Department has already asked operators to add 16 extra Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong train pairs for the Easter period.
For mobility managers, the spike underscores the importance of early seat reservations for assignees travelling in and out of Hong Kong during Chinese festival periods. Corporates should also expect higher hotel and serviced-apartment prices through the first quarter.
The strong influx followed the scrapping of most pandemic-era testing requirements and the addition of extra high-speed rail and bus services from Guangdong. Retailers in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay reported sales increases of 18–22 per cent compared with the same holiday week last year. Jewellery chain Chow Tai Fook said average transaction values by Mainland shoppers were up 11 per cent, driven by the favourable renminbi exchange rate.
Hotels also benefited: data from the Hong Kong Hotel Association show average occupancy reached 91 per cent, with room rates 14 per cent higher year-on-year. The industry attributed the improvement partly to the government’s “Night Vibes Hong Kong” campaign, which extended opening hours at major attractions and ran late-night harbour-front events.
Travellers planning future trips should also keep visa requirements in mind: VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) provides step-by-step guidance and application services for Hong Kong and dozens of other destinations, helping both leisure visitors and corporate mobility teams save time and avoid paperwork surprises.
While the overall figure fell short of the Tourism Board’s earlier projection of 1.4 million visitors, analysts say the trend is still encouraging. “The main constraint was transport capacity, not demand,” noted CLSA travel analyst Marianne Wong, pointing to seat shortages on cross-border rail during peak days. The Transport Department has already asked operators to add 16 extra Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong train pairs for the Easter period.
For mobility managers, the spike underscores the importance of early seat reservations for assignees travelling in and out of Hong Kong during Chinese festival periods. Corporates should also expect higher hotel and serviced-apartment prices through the first quarter.
