Mainland and IVS arrivals to Hong Kong surpass Half-Year target

With the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) in effect for exactly one year, the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Clara Chong announced at a reception in Lo Wu today that Hong Kong had achieved several new records of visitor arrivals in the first six months of 2004. Both the individual and total number of visitors from Mainland China have surpassed the Board’s half-yearly targets, leading total visitor arrivals from markets worldwide to reach 10 million within half a year for the first time.

Ms Chong said that for the first six months of 2004, Hong Kong welcomed over 5.66 million Mainland visitors, exceeding the Board’s half-yearly target of 5.40 million. Among the Mainland arrivals, 1.60 million were individual visitors. This figure had also surpassed HKTB’s half-yearly target of 1.53 million, meaning that on average, one in every four Mainland visitors came to Hong Kong under the IVS. Led by the robust performance of the Mainland market, total visitor arrivals had exceeded the half-yearly target to reach the 10 million landmark for the first time, representing a significant milestone for Hong Kong’s tourism.

“With the summer vacation in July and August, the Golden Week in October and the travel peak season in winter, we are confident of achieving the Board’s yearly target. We will sustain our efforts to drive the growth of different market regions and maintain a balanced portfolio of visitors,” Ms Chong remarked.

At today’s reception, Ms Chong was joined by Wai Chuen, Assistant Director (Control) of the Government’s Immigration Department in greeting individual visitors at the Lo Wu Border Crossing. At present, some 150 million residents throughout Guangdong province as well as from 11 other Mainland cities are eligible to apply for IVS to visit Hong Kong.

Ms Chong said that the Mainland travel market enjoyed huge development potential and would continue to be the leading contributor to arrivals. “The IVS will not only boost arrivals in the short-term but also provide us a sustainable platform for developing the Mainland market. The Scheme, which expands beyond the requirements for Mainland residents to join tours and allows them to visit Hong Kong flexibly, will create a valuable business platform for our tourism-related sectors, including the travel, retail and catering industries,” she explained.

The HKTB earlier conducted questionnaires among individual visitors, with results showing that over 50% of individual visitors intend to travel to Hong Kong at least once every two to three months, making them an important target of the repeat visitor segment.

The majority of the individual visitors are from Guangdong province. Half of them are married couples with children while the other major groups include the office ladies and office male. As compared with general Mainland arrivals, the individual visitors comprise more females and are younger.

Among the individual visitors, 75% are overnight visitors. The primary purpose of their visit is vacation, followed by shopping and family reunion. As for the same-day visitors, one-third of them have selected to come to Hong Kong during the weekends and their major purposes are also vacation and shopping. In view of such, the HKTB said it is staging activities that extend beyond the delights of shopping to showcase the city’s other attractions including dining and entertainment during the Hong Kong Shopping Festival period so as to enrich visitors’ experience.

Given the huge potential of the individual visit market, the Board is to conduct surveys in major and high potential IVS cities in the coming few months. At the same time, it will conduct questionnaires among outbound travellers in Hong Kong so as to obtain further information about the spending patterns and activities of individual visitors during their stay.

Targeting at different regions, the HKTB will develop and implement appropriate marketing strategies. For example, the Board will increase the dissemination of travel information including the latest trends of Hong Kong among visitors of the nearby Guangdong province, given that they are already familiar with the city. For the relatively distant regions, the Board will enhance the exposure and reputation of Hong Kong as well as residents’ awareness of the city by reinforcing its advertising campaigns; co-operating with the media; increasing the consumer promotions; and collaborating with the travel trade on tactical promotions. In addition, the Board aims to strengthen visitors’ confidence in shopping by promoting the Quality Tourism Services scheme aggressively.

Ms Chong said that by making use of comprehensive marketing strategies, the HKTB would ensure that visitors of all cities and regions in the Mainland would have a total travel experience. “What we intend to do is to enhance visitors’ knowledge of Hong Kong prior to arrival and offering them a diverse and sophisticated experience during their stay. In doing so, we will encourage them to make repeat visits, thereby generating sustainable economic benefits for Hong Kong.”