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Hong Kong welcomed 34 million guests final 12 months, with the determine for December reaching 65 per cent of the pre-pandemic degree as the town rolled out a collection of occasions to draw vacationers in the course of the festive season.
Dane Cheng Ting-yat, government director of the Tourism Board, on Saturday mentioned that the variety of guests in 2023 had surpassed the unique forecast of 30 million and reached 55 per cent of the common determine recorded for 2017 and 2018.
“The variety of 34 million vacationers is healthier than what we anticipated, hitting 55 per cent of the pre-pandemic ranges. For December alone, the variety of guests reached 65 per cent of the pre-Covid degree,” he instructed a radio programme.
“With the aviation trade steadily resuming its capability and higher preparations at completely different border checkpoints to facilitate the stream of passengers, we hope that this rising pattern will proceed.”
Cheng added the board didn’t at the moment have a forecast for the variety of vacationers for this 12 months as they have been nonetheless making assessments.
The board mentioned about 4 million guests got here to Hong Kong in December final 12 months.
On a full-year foundation, mainland China remained the biggest customer marketplace for Hong Kong, with greater than 26.7 million vacationers from throughout the border, whereas Southeast Asian markets recovered the quickest. Customer arrivals from the Philippines and Thailand in December reached 116 per cent and 106 per cent of pre-pandemic ranges, respectively.
Hong Kong’s Lunar New 12 months parade is again after 5-year hiatus
Hong Kong’s Lunar New 12 months parade is again after 5-year hiatus
The board mentioned in a single day guests accounted for half of all vacationers final 12 months, the next proportion than earlier than the pandemic. The typical size of keep was 3.6 nights, which was longer than the length recorded earlier than Covid-19.
However Cheng mentioned it was unrealistic to anticipate customer numbers to succeed in the 65 million logged in 2018.
“We shouldn’t anticipate the customer numbers to rise to the file of 65 million logged in 2018. This determine included a each day 20,000 to 30,000 parallel merchants which affected the tourism expertise and pushed up the costs,” he mentioned.
Hongkongers queue for greater than 2 hours as they flock to new Shenzhen Costco
Hongkongers queue for greater than 2 hours as they flock to new Shenzhen Costco
He identified that half of all vacationers stayed in a single day in Hong Kong final 12 months, in contrast with 45 per cent in 2018.
Hong Kong’s annual Lunar New 12 months parade will return on February 10, the primary day of the 12 months of the Dragon, after a five-year hiatus, with organisers saying it’s going to embody the largest-ever variety of performing teams from abroad. Acts collaborating embody Japanese feminine pop dance group Avantgardey, Spain’s the Mild Dancers and German troupe the Universe of Lights.
‘Hong Kong in talks over resuming multiple-entry visas for Shenzhen residents’
‘Hong Kong in talks over resuming multiple-entry visas for Shenzhen residents’
The board mentioned it anticipated the occasion to draw about 150,000 spectators, of which 30 per cent could be vacationers.
Hong Kong’s revamped district councils have additionally proposed holding carnivals of their neighbourhoods, together with a Thailand-style pageant carnival in Kowloon Metropolis, the place the Southeast Asian nation’s cultural affect might be felt, in addition to adorning the celebrated wishing tree in Tai Po.
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