What Impact Does Hong Kong Sevens Have on Long-Haul Travel?

Amadeus and Forward Data SL, a market research and consulting company, has released data that shows that the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens draws the biggest influx of long-haul travellers into Hong Kong every year for a single event.

Based on annual bookings data from 2009 to 2012, long-haul arrivals into the city during the Hong Kong Sevens week is surpassed only by arrivals during Easter week and also the popular October – November tourist season, generally regarded as the best time of the year to visit Hong Kong.

Analysing global air reservations, Amadeus and Forward Data SL unveiled a range of travel trends on Thursday that detail the impact of the 2013 Hong Kong Sevens on long-haul travel to the city, and highlight the evolving international profile of visitors during that period.

With the first game kicking off later today (Friday), the data shows that booking figures for the week of the Hong Kong Sevens event, made until 6 March 2013, are level with those of 2012 (representing a 0.2% year-on-year increase), but 7.1% higher than 2011 levels. This reflects the growing popularity of the rugby sevens sport ahead of its debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. More importantly, it signifies a growing recognition of the Hong Kong Sevens as the premier tournament on the IRB Sevens World Series competition.

Key trends include:

Top Source Country

The USA leads the charts as the top source country, showing an 8% growth over the previous year, followed by the UK and Australia. All three countries are recurrent principal source countries, retaining the top three spots, and in the same order, as the 2012 event.

Russia and Italy however, take the podium as the main growth contributors with outstanding year-on-year growth rates of 82% and 42% respectively. This is a possible reflection of the growing popularity of rugby internationally, particularly in Russia, which is due to host the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2013 in June this year.

Top Source Regions

Europe is the single biggest source region for traffic to the Hong Kong Sevens, accounting for 43% of total expected long-haul arrivals. North America follows in second place, responsible for 31% of total expected arrivals. Oceania takes third place with 17% of all arrivals; however this represents a 7.2% decline in arrivals from Oceania over 2012.

Bookings also suggest that Central and South America could increase its relevance as a source region, which has shown the largest year-on-year growth in bookings (10.1%) among all source regions.

Travellers Extending Their Stay

The majority of travellers (39%) will be looking to stay between 4 – 8 nights, representing a 5% increase over the 2012 average and a corresponding decrease in shorter, 1 – 3 night stays.

The data also indicates that the largest volume of arrivals will take place on Thursday, 21 March 2013. This suggests that long-haul travellers are extending their stays in Hong Kong beyond the tournament, offering big opportunities for the hospitality and retail industries in Hong Kong.

David Brett, President, Amadeus Asia Pacific, said, “These findings underscore the significance of the Hong Kong Sevens to the city’s tourism industry and highlight the opportunities for travel providers and businesses to cater to the influx of Rugby fans. As the event continues to attract greater numbers, businesses that adapt their services to meet the varying traveller needs will be best placed to reap the benefits from this growth.”

“The Hong Kong Sevens is a favourite of mine as well as many of our customers. It’s a great meeting place for our travel industry partners who continue to help us shape the future of travel in Asia Pacific,” added Brett.

Pictures and Other Coverage from Hong Kong Sevens 2013

As there are so many Pictures of the Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2013 we have cut them up into different pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12, Page 13, Page 14, Page 15, Page 16, Page 17 and Page 18. You may also want to check out the pictures from previous years: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.

See past stories about the Hong Kong Sevens 2013: Pictures from Hong Kong Sevens 2013, Results from Hong Kong Sevens 2013, Sevens Legend Waisale Serevi Inducted into IRB Hall of Fame, Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2013 Ready for Kick Off!, What Impact Does Hong Kong Sevens Have on Long-Haul Travel?, South Stand Fashion - What to Wear at the Hong Kong Sevens, HKRFU Launches Rugby App; Chance to Win Tickets to HK Sevens, Hong Kong RFU to Launch a School of Rugby in Hong Kong, HKRFU Partners Serevi Rugby to Provide Special Training Camps, HKRFU Names Men's and Women's Sevens Squads, US Eagles Land in HK for Sevens; Jamaica Ready for Debut, Air Pacific Partners Ben Kende Foundation to Provide Medical Supplies to FORU, Rugby Sevens Teams from South Africa and France Arrive in Hong Kong, Official Draw for the 2013 Hong Kong Sevens, Beach Boys to Perform at Hong Kong Sevens, Hong Kong Sevens Officially Sold Out!, 2013 Hong Kong Sevens Public Ticket Sale to be via Public Ballot, Fans in Australia Can Purchase Tickets for 2013 Hong Kong Sevens, Biggest Hong Kong Sevens Ever! and Dates for the Cathay Pacific HSBC Hong Kong Sevens 2013.