An aerial view of the urban scenery of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China Photo: VC

 
China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) welcomed 34 million visitors in 2023, with the Chinese mainland remaining its largest source market and accounting for 79 percent of the total figure amid the region's tourism rebound, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) on Saturday. 

Some 27 million travelers from the Chinese mainland made trips to Hong Kong last year, which accounted for 79 percent of the region's total visitors with ideal numbers during the May Day holidays, summer vacation and the National Day holidays in October. 

The figure showcased a steady recovery for Hong Kong's tourism sector. The region received nearly 4 million tourists alone in December 2023. In comparison, Hong Kong received a total of 604,564 visitors in 2022, with 375,130 from the mainland, according to HKTB data. 

Multiple indicators demonstrated Hong Kong's continuous recovery in tourism with the corresponding data recovering to and even surpassing pre-pandemic levels. 

The Southeast Asian market has shown a fastest recovery for Hong Kong. The number of visitors from the Philippines and Thailand in December surpassed pre-pandemic levels, which were averaged from 2017 to 2018, with a recovery rate of 116 percent for the Philippines and 106 percent for Thailand.

Half of inbound visitors to Hong Kong are overnight tourists, which is a higher proportion than the pre-pandemic levels. They stay in Hong Kong for 3.6 nights on average, which is longer than before the pandemic. 

The satisfaction rating of overnight tourists is 8.7 out of 10, also surpassing pre-pandemic levels, according to a survey conducted by the HKTB. 

The HKTB will tailor promotional efforts to different source markets, while organizing events to promote the sector's steady recovery, said Dane Cheng, the HKTB's executive director. 

The tourism rebound is just a snapshot of the region's steady and fast economic recovery. 

"Looking back on 2023, Hong Kong has embarked on the road toward full normalcy. Our normal travel and exchanges with the mainland and the rest of the world have gradually resumed. The economy has returned to growth with the unemployment rate falling to a low level and inflation staying moderate," Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in a post on December 31, 2023.

Global Times