Tourists from the Chinese mainland walk along the harbour front in Hong Kong on March 13, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
HONG KONG – The number of tourists arriving in Hong Kong has exceeded 1 million for the first time since the pandemic began three years ago, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Wednesday.
The HKTB said in a statement that the city saw a provisional visitor arrival of 1.462 million in February, or three times the number recorded in January. The figure is equivalent to about 30 percent of that before the pandemic.
“Among the arrivals, mainland visitors shows a significant increase. Other short-haul visitors mainly came from Southeast Asia. Share of leisure visitors is also on a continuous rise,” the statement reads.
The number of visitors from the Chinese mainland rose from 67,244 in December to 280,525 in January and to 1,108,653 last month
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The number of visitors from the Chinese mainland rose from 67,244 in December to 280,525 in January and to 1,108,653 last month.
Non-mainland visitors also increased from 93,334 in December to 218,164 in January and 353,316 in February, the HKTB said.
Among non-mainland visitors, short-haul travelers rose from 49,532 in December to 165,847 in February. The number of long-haul visitors more than doubled from 34,077 in December to 75,628 last month.
The HKTB said it was also continuing to give out “Hong Kong Goodies” visitor consumption vouchers with merchants across the city, introducing more attractive offers.
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The latest vouchers include offers totaling HK$20 million ($2.55 million) from the MTR, including 100,000 airport express tickets, 100,000 tourist day passes, and 100,000 coupons of RMB30 discount on High Speed Rail tickets. The Hong Kong Jockey Club also offers 2,000 sets of HK$430 Tourist Packs.