17% rise in long-haul visitors to Hong Kong in April The number of long-haul visitors to Hong Kong rose by 17 per cent year on year in April, with double-digit growth reported for the first four months of 2025 overall and tourist momentum expected to continue. The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Thursday that the number of visitors from long-haul markets reached 343,023 in April, a 17 per cent increase from the same period last year. The figure accounted for 8.9 per cent of the 3.84 million arrivals in the month. Overall, the city welcomed 13 per cent more visitors in April compared with a year ago. The number of incoming travellers in the first four months of 2025 stood at 16.07 million, a 10 per cent increase from the same period last year. The number of mainland Chinese visitors heading to the city for the month reached 2.81 million, accounting for 73.17 per cent of arrivals and representing a 13 per cent increase, year on year. “The recent weaknesses in the Hong Kong dollar against other regional currencies will be good news to overseas travellers, which could help to sustain the growth in arrival figures,” said Ryan Lam Chun-wang, head of research at Shanghai Commercial Bank. Lam estimated that the number of short- and long-haul arrivals could increase by a high-single-digit percentage for May or June. The government is due to reveal finalised figures for first-quarter gross domestic product growth and other forecasts for the economy for the rest of the year on Friday. The Tourism Board said that aside from those travelling from the mainland, most of the short- and long-haul visitors were from Australia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia. The number of arrivals from Australia during the first four months of 2025 increased by 30 per cent, year on year. Hong Kong last month played host to mega-events such as a series of concerts by British band Coldplay between April 8 and 12 at Kai Tak Stadium, attracting fans from around the world. Analysts earlier said some overseas tourists who visited Hong Kong for the concerts stayed to enjoy the Easter break in the city. The holiday ran from April 18 to 21 this year. The number of mainland visitors heading to the city in the first four months of 2025 stood at 12.05 million, an 8 per cent rise from the same period last year. For tourists arriving from outside the mainland, the figure reached 4.01 million and represented a 17 per cent increase year on year. During the first four months, the number of short-haul visitors increased year on year by 20 per cent, while arrivals from long-haul destinations rose by 18 per cent. But Lam said the number of tourist arrivals from Europe and the United States lagged behind due to the absence of stimulating factors. Although the number of inbound tourists increased, many Hongkongers headed elsewhere for the Easter break. This led to weaker retail spending in April, with the level contracting by 14.7 per cent from the same month last year to HK$29.6 billion (US$3.8 billion). https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3310429/hong-kong-witnesses-17-rise-long-haul-visitors-city-april (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: South China Morning Post