Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals for May 2006

Overall visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in May 2006 reached more than 1.95 million an increase of 7.3% more than in May 2005. This brought the total for the first five months of 2006 to more than 10.3 million, a year-on-year growth of 11.6%.

Some 1.23 million (63.2%) of the May 2006 arrivals were classified as overnight visitors, with the remainder of more than 720,000 (36.8%) classified as same-day. Arrivals from North Asia rose by 16.2% to 161,345, while South and Southeast Asia grew by 10.3% to 231,387. Mainland China provided 1,045,744 visitors, a 7.6% increase over May last year, with arrivals from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific increasing by 5.7% to 50,121, and from Europe, Africa and the Middle East growing by 5.5% to 139,165, while those from the Americas rose by 3.7% to 129,649. Taiwan was the only regional market to show a decline in arrivals, by a modest 1.8% to 159,505.

Mainland China was the source of more than 1.04 million visitors, a rise of 7.6% over May 2005. More than 473,000 Mainland visitors travelled to Hong Kong under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), 45.3% of the total and 12.5% more than in May 2005. While Taiwan showed an overall drop of 1.8%, the percentage of overnight arrivals from the island continued to rise, this month by 6.7%.

May 2006 Arrivals by Markets

Of the 1,045,744 Mainland arrivals in May, 473,611 travelled to Hong Kong under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), 45.3% of the total and 12.5% more than in the same month in 2005. Cumulative arrivals from the Mainland in January-May reached 5,746,988, a 15% year-on-year increase, while IVS visitors numbered 2,738,346, 25.1% more than in the previous year.

 Although May arrivals from Taiwan fell by 1.8% to 159,505, the overall total for the first five months of the year increased by 2.4% to 868,053.

The 231,387 South and Southeast Asian arrivals in May took the cumulative five-month total to 1,009,755, a 9.2% increase over 2005. Individual markets in this region showing the strongest May growth were the Philippines (25.8%), India (24.9%) and Indonesia (15.3%).

The 161,345 arrivals from North Asia in May included 108,542 from Japan, a year-on-year increase of 23.4%, and 52,803 from South Korea, a rise of 3.9%. Cumulative arrivals in January-May reached 801,542, 9% more than in 2005.

Among key long-haul regions, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific was the best performer in May, growing by 5.7% to 50,121. Arrivals from Europe, Africa and the Middle East rose by 5.5% to 139,165, while those from the Americas increased by 3.7% to 129,649. Respective cumulative five-monthly totals for the three regions stood at 260,601 (an 11.1% increase), 761,082 (+10.6%) and 653,281 (+4.9%).

May 2006 Same-Day In-Town Visitors

Some 63.2% of all visitors to Hong Kong in May stayed in the city for at least one night, compared with 63.5% in the same month last year. The remaining 36.8% same-day in-town visitors either returned home or left for another destination on the same day as arrival.

Between January and May 2006, 62.1% of all visitors stayed for one night or more, 0.6 of a percentage point lower than in the first five months of 2005.

May 2006 Hotel Occupancy

Hotel occupancy across all categories of hotels and tourist guesthouses in May was 82%, two percent higher than for the same month in 2005, and despite the fact that Hong Kong’s hotel-room supply grew by 3.4% between May 2005 and May 2006.

Visitors’ most favoured geographic location in May was, as always, Yau Ma Tei/Mong Kok, where hotels recorded an occupancy rate of 88%.

The average achieved hotel room rate across all hotel categories was HK$992, 19.2% higher than in May 2005.

The average occupancy across all categories of hotels and tourist guesthouses for January-May 2006 is 86%, three percentage points higher than in 2005. The average achieved room rate across all hotel categories is HK$1,067, 16.2% higher than in the first five months of 2005.

See also: Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals for April 2006

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