Hong Kong recorded a substantial increase in visitor arrivals in March 2023, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). The provisional figure of 2.454 million arrivals for March was a 68% increase from the previous month, and a positive sign of recovery for the tourism industry.
In the first quarter of 2023 (January to March), Hong Kong welcomed 4.41 million inbound visitors, which is about 30% of the average quarterly figure before the pandemic (2017-2019). Most of the visitors came from Mainland and Southeast Asian countries. The HKTB also noted that the line-up of international cruise arrivals in March helped bring in international visitors, contributing to the increase in visitor arrivals.
In February 2023, Hong Kong International Airport saw over 2 million passengers, the highest since the start of the pandemic, while the Immigration Department predicted over 9 million visitors to visit the city during the Ching Ming – Easter holidays. The Hong Kong Tourism Board will provide full details for March at the end of the month. The Immigration Department reported that the number of people who left the city (over 727,000) was much higher than those who arrived (over 520,000), during the Ching- Ming – Easter holidays while SCMP also reported the struggle restaurants faced due to the lower number of tourists.
The government has launched several campaigns and promotions to attract more visitors to the city, including Hello Hong Kong, alongside hosting major events throughout 2023 including Happy Hong Kong, the S20 Songkran Music Festival, the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens or Clokenflap, showing signs of recovery, after 3 years of stringent pandemic measures.
Header image credit: Angelyn Sanjorjo via Pexels
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