Local tourism sector reports modest gains this year despite nearly 13 per cent drop in mainland Chinese arrivals from pre-pandemic levels
Immigration Department data released on Friday showed that from Lunar New Year’s Eve to the third day of the holiday, Hong Kong residents made 1.44 million trips out of the city, up about 20.4 per cent from 1.2 million in the same period in 2019.
By contrast, mainland Chinese visitors made 629,340 trips to Hong Kong over the same four days, a decline of 12.8 per cent from the 721,955 recorded before the pandemic in 2019.
The number of arrivals by non-mainland visitors also dipped slightly by about 4.4 per cent over the same period.
In spite of the robust cross-border activity this year – including a significant share of locals travelling out and returning from holiday – the local tourism industry reported a cautious recovery, even as some neighbourhood and mid-priced restaurants continued to struggle.
The government earlier estimated that around 9.52 million passengers would pass through Hong Kong’s land control points from February 14 to 23, 29.7 per cent more than last year’s projection of 7.34 million over the period.
The latest statistics came as Hong Kong’s retail sector returned to modest growth after a prolonged downturn.
