Hong Kong works on image overhaul to attract overseas visitors

Hong Kong’s efforts to overhaul an image dented by years of turbulence and reestablish itself as an Asian events hub are starting to lure more international visitors beyond mainland China, the city’s tourism chief said.

Measures adopted by the Asian financial hub include revamping its dated taxi fleet and improving digital payment systems, Rosanna Law, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, told Bloomberg TV in an interview.

The city is also doubling down on hosting major events to lure back the jet set, with a recent concert by British band Coldplay and a move by its annual Rugby Sevens tournament to a flashy new waterfront stadium.

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“We need to rack our brain to find new attraction points so that people are willing to spend or find new reasons for people to stay that much longer,” said Law, who was appointed to the role in December.

Visitor arrivals in the first quarter grew 9% from the same period in 2024, to 12 million, while the number of non-mainland visitors surged by 18%, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. It was the biggest on-year quarterly growth in tourists since travel resumed in Hong Kong after the pandemic.

Hong Kong’s image as a tourist-friendly destination has suffered from years of turmoil, including pro-democracy protests, strict Covid measures and Beijing’s clampdown on freedoms in the special administrative region. Its tourism industry is still struggling to fully rebound six years after Covid, making it one of the last markets in Asia to recover.

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Last year it welcomed nearly 45 million tourists, a 31% jump from 2023, though just short of the tourism board’s target of 46 million — and far off the record 65 million arrivals in 2018, the pre-pandemic year.

The agency forecasts a 10% increase in visitors in 2025, to about 49 million, still below levels seen before Covid.

Hong Kong relies heavily on China for tourism: Chinese still comprise the bulk of arrivals, making up about 76% of visitors last year. But economic uncertainty in the mainland is leading Chinese travelers to pull back on luxury shopping, a cornerstone of Hong Kong’s tourism sector, spurring the city’s efforts to diversify overseas arrivals.

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Efforts on that front include heavier marketing to draw holiday seekers from countries including India and Saudi Arabia. Arrivals from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan jumped 30% or more year-on-year in the first quarter.

Events Blitz
Under a government blueprint for the tourism industry, Hong Kong’s travel and tourism receipts are forecast to grow 60% over five years to HK$120 billion ($15 billion) in 2029. The plan hopes to attract visitors through sports and cultural events programs that could help reestablish Hong Kong as a regional events hub.

Much will be centered around the newly-opened Kai Tak Stadium, a 50,000-seat arena that’s part of a HK$32 billion sports park developed on the site of the city’s former airport. Coming up, the arena will host Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou and British Premier League matches in July featuring four of the world’s top soccer clubs, including Liverpool FC and AC Milan.

Visitors during May’s Golden Week holiday were up 22% from 2024, past 1.1 million. They were welcomed by a a waterfront drone show and horse races that were billed as part of the mega events draw, Law said.

Still, challenges loom, including global economic uncertainty, and intense tourism competition from Hong Kong’s neighbors.

The increasing number of arrivals to the city also has yet to translate into higher spending, with the average per capita outlay for visitors dropping to HK$6,675 last year from HK$8,150 in 2023, the tourism board said.

“We need to catch up,” said Law. “We need to ensure that whatever we we have not been doing enough in the past or we were disadvantaged in the past — such as the absence of a major stadium like the Kai Tak Stadium — we are now making the most of it. We are telling people that they are all welcome to come to Hong Kong.”