Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals Plummet to Below 3,000 Per Day

Hong Kong welcomed 3.2 million visitor arrivals in January 2020, a daily average of 100,000 and a 53% drop from the 200,000 daily arrivals received in the first half of 2019.

Mainland China and short-haul markets were the most affected.

Average daily arrivals recovered to 130,000 with the pre-Lunar New Year rush in January. But the outbreak of COVID-19 aggravated the decline, as some airlines suspended flights to the city and reduced services overall.

The Hong Kong government has also implemented a number of measures restricting the flow of people between Hong Kong and the mainland. As a result, the number of visitors plunged to 65,000 a day in late January.

Preliminary data in February suggests that the arrivals have continued to decline, with average daily arrivals falling to below 3,000, of which 75% were non-mainland visitors.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is maintaining normal operations at its Visitor Service Centres at Hong Kong International Airport and in Tsim Sha Tsui, while the other centres have been temporarily closed "to optimise resources".

The daily operating hours of the Hotline Services have been extended for both visitors and trade partners, including hotels and shopping malls, from 9am-6pm to 9am-9pm.

See also: HK7s and Singapore Sevens 2020 Rescheduled.

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