Hong Kong is aiming to double the number of Indian tourists visiting the city this year, driven by a series of festivals and events, according to Puneet Kumar, Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) for South Asia and the Middle East.
Last year, 2,08,000 Indians traveled to Hong Kong, and the HKTB hopes to surpass this figure. In the first half of 2024 alone, Hong Kong welcomed 1,81,000 visitors from India, marking an impressive 89% recovery compared to pre-COVID levels.
“We want to double this number this year and have many festivals and events lined up to boost tourism,” Kumar said in an interview with PTI. He expressed optimism that Hong Kong would surpass the pre-pandemic (2018) level of tourist arrivals, viewing 2018 as a benchmark due to the significant dip in tourism in 2019 amidst widespread protests in Hong Kong.
In 2018, Hong Kong attracted around 4 lakh Indian visitors and a total of 330 lakh international tourists. After a challenging period, the city has shown signs of resurgence, welcoming 340 lakh international visitors in 2023. Between January and June 2024 alone, 210 lakh travelers visited Hong Kong.
Kumar highlighted that Hong Kong is being promoted as an all-year-round destination, with a focus on mega events and festivals. The city boasts strong travel connectivity to India, with direct flights from all metro cities and the benefit of visa-free travel for Indian tourists. “Indian travelers only require a pre-arrival registration on the Hong Kong immigration website, which takes about 10 minutes,” he noted.
Hong Kong is focusing its tourism efforts on attracting younger generations from India, particularly Gen Z and Millennials (born between 1981 and 2012), who are fueling the growth of the tourism industry. These groups are especially drawn to events like concerts and festivals, which are central to Hong Kong’s promotion as “the event capital of Asia.”
“Our focus is to drive frequent travel and repeat travel,” Kumar said, noting that the leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) segments are the primary targets. Within the leisure sector, families and cruise travelers are key demographics, while India is among the top five markets for incentive group travel to Hong Kong.
Indians also rank among the top five spenders in Hong Kong, with an average per-person expenditure of HKD 9,139. Additionally, the length of stay for Indian travelers has increased, with an average of 4.5 days, up from 3 days in 2018.
