July visitor arrivals set new single-month record
Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in July 2010 reached the highest-ever single-month level — at 3,136,794 — representing a robust increase of 31.9% year-on-year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
For the first seven months of this year, total visitor arrivals amounted to 19,992,810, an increase of 24.4% compared with the same period last year.
The table below summarizes visitor arrivals from different market regions in July and the first seven months of 2010:
Market Regions |
|
Change vs. 2009 |
|
Change vs. 2009 |
| 2,628,831 |
+10.9% |
384,020 |
+10.6% |
| 986,558 |
+11.1% |
150,305 |
+10.6% |
1,211,777 |
+11.2% |
171,506 |
+10.7% |
430,496 |
+9.6% |
62,209 |
+10.3% |
| 4,456,789 |
+21.7% |
668,580 |
+22.3% |
1,241,736 |
+24.1% |
178,965 |
+15.4% |
1,948,855 |
+27.4% |
279,556 |
+38.9% |
1,266,198 |
+11.8% |
210,059 |
+10.4% |
12,499,036 |
+28.9% |
2,011,837 |
+40.4% |
|
19,992,810 |
*Total figure includes arrivals from Macau SAR.
The arrivals base for comparison this July is relatively lower, given that visitor arrivals in the same month last year were impacted by the human swine flu. Notwithstanding this, the gain in visitor arrivals in July was strongly encouraging, with arrivals surpassing the July 2008 figure by 15.8%.
The growth in overall arrivals in July was led by mainland China, with arrivals exceeding 2 million. The figure — the highest monthly figure for the market — is also 40% higher year-on-year. This significant growth can be attributed to the fact that summer is a popular travel season among Mainland visitors. In addition, the implementation of measures under the Individual Visit Scheme in Shenzhen has made it easier for Shenzhen residents to visit Hong Kong.
Among other short-haul markets, South and Southeast Asia achieved a nearly 40% increase in arrivals, as there were greater travel sentiments resulting from improved economic conditions and increased flight capacity. Taiwan also recorded growth of 10.4%, a sign that the effect of direct cross-strait flights is stabilizing.
Visitor arrivals from the long-haul markets also grew steadily. Overall arrivals from these markets in July grew 10.6% compared with the same month last year. In the emerging market segment, Russia, the Middle East and India registered growth of 86.0%, 47.5% and 44.9%, respectively, propelled by such factors as economic recovery and more frequent flights.
In July 2010, overnight visitors exceeded 1.82 million, representing 58.3% of all visitors to Hong Kong. This is 35.7% higher than in July 2009. The increase is attributed to the rise in overnight visitors from most market regions, especially short-haul markets such as Taiwan (+46.1%), mainland China (+44.9%) and South and Southeast Asia (+42.7%).
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