Hong Kong sees 3.6 million arrivals in July, highest monthly figure since year began

Hong Kong recorded almost 3.6 million arrivals in July, an increase of over 30 per cent compared to the previous month. The figures, however, still pale in comparison compared to pre-Covid years.

hong kong airport tourism travel — Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

According to preliminary arrival figures released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board on Friday, Hong Kong saw 3,588,530 arrivals last month. Over 80 per cent of arrivals were from mainland China.

“Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong have recovered the fastest in Southeast Asia, with visitor arrivals from the Philippines and Thailand each reaching more than 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels last month,” Dane Cheng, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said in a press release.

The figures make July the month with the highest number of arrivals so far this year. There were 2.75 million arrivals in June, according to the Tourism Board.

Hong Kong has seen an gradual uptick in visitors since relaxing its Covid-19 rules, under which arrivals had to undergo multiple Covid tests and at one point quarantine in a hotel for up to three weeks. The city maintained stringent measures even as countries around the world relaxed their protocols.

Recent arrival figures are still less than 70 per cent of what the city saw before the pandemic. In 2018, the last full year before the anti-extradition demonstrations and Covid-19 hit, Hong Kong recorded an average of 5.43 million visitors monthly.

Experts have warned that Hong Kong’s tourism sector – one of the city’s four “pillar industries” driving economic growth – faces a long road to recovery. Related industries are grappling with a manpower shortage after many workers changed careers during Covid-19, seeing no end to Hong Kong’s restrictions.

Businesses targeting tourists have also yet to bounce back, with sales a fraction of the pre-pandemic years, industry representatives have told local media outlets.

In February, authorities unveiled a “Hello Hong Kong” campaign to attract visitors, partnering with local airlines to give away plane tickets to the city. Chief Executive John Lee said Hong Kong was “back on the centre stage.”

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