Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals for May 2007

Total visitor arrivals to Hong Kong reached 2,202,343 in May, a rise of 12.6% compared with the same month in 2006. The increase took the cumulative total for January to May 2007 to 10,995,014, 6.7% higher than in the first five months of 2006.

All market regions registered arrivals increases in May 2007. In particular, several long-haul markets continued to perform strongly, with Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific rising by 18.7% (59,507), followed by Europe, Africa and the Middle East (161,019, 15.7%).

Double-digit increase was also seen from Mainland China (1,212,715, 16%), while more modest but equally encouraging growth was seen from South and Southeast Asia (253,138, 9.4%), the Americas (138,816, 7.1%), North Asia (169,469, 5%) and Taiwan (164,907, 3.4%).

Mainland China continued to provide the largest share of arrivals to Hong Kong in May 2007, the 1,212,715 visitors representing 55.1% of the city’s monthly total and a year-on-year increase of 16.0%. Of the Mainland arrivals for the month, 678,233 or 55.9% travelled under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), 43.2% more than in May 2006.

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Chairman The Hon James Tien said that although the Golden Week holiday gave a boost to Mainland arrivals in May, the HKTB would continue to keep a watchful eye on the arrival trends. “Fluctuations in Mainland arrivals have been observed since the beginning of this year,” he remarked. “Indeed, as the Mainland market continues to evolve into maturity, we expect this pattern will persist in the coming months.

“At the same time, our base of Mainland visitors has expanded substantially over the past few years,” Mr Tien added. “Looking ahead, we’d strive to maintain long-term steady growth of this major source market amidst the winds of changes and increasing competition. To achieve this, we’ll capitalise on our partnership with the travel trade and related sectors, as well as special events and occasions, such as the 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong SAR, through which we’ll reinforce our destination image and stimulate visitors’ interest in Hong Kong in the long run.”

In May 2007, more than 1.33 million arrivals (60.7% of the total) stayed in the city for at least one night, while some 865,100 (39.3%) were classified as same-day in-town visitors. In January-May 2007, over 6.67 million (60.7%) visitors stayed overnight, with some 4.32 million (39.3%) leaving on the day of arrival.

May 2007 Arrivals by Markets

Arrivals from Mainland China grew by 16% to 1,212,715 in May, bringing the cumulative January-May arrivals to 6,080,191, 5.8% ahead of the same period last year. The number of arrivals travelling under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) reached 678,233 in May, representing 55.9% of the total and 43.2% growth over the same month in 2006. This took cumulative January-May IVS arrivals to almost 3.33 million, 54.8% of visitors from the Mainland and 21.6% more than the same period last year.

Arrivals from Taiwan rose by 3.4% to 164,907, compared with the same month in 2006. Cumulative arrivals for January-May numbered 882,172, a slight increase of 1.6% over the same period in 2006.

The 253,138 arrivals from South and Southeast Asia represented a rise of 9.4% compared with May 2006, bringing the cumulative arrivals for the first five months to 1,061,669, 5.1% more than in 2006. Indonesia and Malaysia showed the highest growth at 19.6% and 18.1% respectively, while the Philippines (17.1%) and India (13.1%) also performed strongly in May 2007.

There were 169,469 visitors from North Asia in May, comprising 65,183 visitors from South Korea, a rise of 23.4%, and 104,286 from Japan, a drop of 3.9%. Cumulative arrivals for January-May numbered 867,038, 8.2% more than in 2006, with South Korean arrivals up by 18% and those from Japan by 2.8%.

The 161,019 arrivals (15.7%) from Europe, Africa and the Middle East took the region’s cumulative arrivals for January-May to 882,630, a 16% increase. Among the individual markets, the United Kingdom registered the highest growth at 24.7%. The Americas also enjoyed healthy growth of 7.1% (138,816), bringing the cumulative arrivals from the region to 700,458, up 7.2%. As for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific – the best-performing long-haul market region in May – arrivals increased by 18.7% to 59,507, taking the January-May total to 288,422, up 10.7%.

May 2007 Same-Day In-Town Visitors

Some 60.7% of all visitors to Hong Kong in May stayed in the city for at least one night, which is 2.5 percentage points lower than for the same month last year. The remaining 39.3% same-day in-town visitors either returned home or left for another destination on the same day as arrival.

In January-May 2007, some 60.7% of all visitors to Hong Kong were classified as overnight visitors, which is 1.4 percentage points lower than for the same period in 2006. The remaining 39.3% were same-day in-town visitors.

May 2007 Hotel Occupancy

Hotel occupancy across all categories of hotels in May 2007 was 81%, which was one percentage point lower than in May 2006. The geographic location with the highest occupancy in May was Yau Ma Tei/Mong Kok, where hotels recorded a rate of 87%.

The average achieved hotel room rate across all hotel categories was HK$1,101, 10.9% higher than in May 2006.

The average hotel occupancy for January-May 2007 is 84%, two percentage points lower than in 2006. The average achieved hotel room rate was HK$1,206, 13% higher than in the same period of 2006.

See also: Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals for April 2007 and other recent news regarding: Hong Kong, Visitor Arrivals