HONG KONG VISITOR ARRIVALS TOP ONE MILLION MARK FOR FIFTH MONTH

Visitor arrivals in July broke the one million mark for the fifth time this year, according to the latest figures released today (30 August) by the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA).

Mid- to high double-digit growth was recorded in virtually every market. This month's figures reached 1,095,923 [NB] — compared with 966,034 in July 1999 and 884,441 in July 1998.

Average room occupancy reached 82% — up from 76% for the same month last year — with High Tariff A hotels showing the most significant increase of 10 percentage points to 77%.

In commenting on the July figures, HKTA Deputy Executive Director Douglas Gautier said that any lingering misconceptions about Hong Kong being a costly destination are well and truly being dispelled by timely and well-engineered consumer promotions. “Sector-driven packaging in our seven key markets are proving to be just the kind of incentive prospective travellers need to view Hong Kong as an exciting year-round destination,” he added.

In Japan, there were definite signs of a solid return in popularity of holiday travel, with major carriers recording a higher than average rate of “impulse” bookings. Familiarity with Hong Kong encouraged many travellers to take up the super value deals on offer. Growth for this valuable market was up 17.4% to 109,146 visitors. Arrivals from South Korea rose by 19.5%.

Hong Kong continues to build on its reputation as the preferred gateway to Mainland China in a number of Asian countries, as more carriers and agents choose to package this route. Major operators in India, such as SOTC, Cox & King and TCI, believe there will be a continuing upward trend in traffic to Hong Kong and Hong Kong/Mainland China (10,285, +23.9%). Increasing interest in Bangkok/Hong Kong and Singapore/Hong Kong twin-destination packages was also observed this month.

Star Cruises, which uses Hong Kong as a home port for SuperStar Leo and Star Pisces, have set up offices in New Delhi and Mumbai to cater for the growing demand for cruises from this market.

In Singapore (31,983, +22.5%), Pearl River Delta packages are drawing interest and awareness of multi-destination Hong Kong products, such as the Hong Kong/Hainan/Zhaoqing packaged offered by China Airlines. The Cathay Pacific/Super City packages advertised in July in both print and TV media also generated good responses. Other airlines, such as Garuda Airways, Qantas, China Airlines and Malaysian Airlines are following suit, offering excellent airfares and packages starting from S$448 (around HK$2,000). In The Philippines, agents have been incorporating Shenzhen in their Hong Kong packages.

Travel agents in Mainland China launched special tours in July to celebrate the third anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty, playing a part in producing a 14.3% increase in arrivals, while Taiwanese visitors (215,890, +13.4%) took advantage of competitive hotel rates for family travel.

Aggressive airline programmes with added incentive to “book Asia” and a greater trade focus on positioning Hong Kong as “a must see now” destination stimulated an impressive performance from the United States (83,509, +15.6%).

In Canada (20,887, +12.5%), excellent coverage in consumer media boosted interest in visiting the territory.

Meanwhile in the United Kingdom (26,000, +9.7%), forward bookings are an indicator of ongoing interest in Hong Kong.

The upcoming Sydney Olympics has prompted a general disposition for travel to Hong Kong from Australia (28,171, +17.8%) and New Zealand (4,810, +16.9%), due in part to favourable costs. An integrated campaign organised by the I-Explore group and Flight Centre in July alone generated nearly 1,500 bookings (+5.6%) and a 24% increase in enquiries. Cathay Pacific’s fares to Europe incorporating a Hong Kong stopover has been particularly successful in gaining market share on the lucrative Kangaroo Route.

NB. The HKTA began including non-Macanese visitors arriving from Macau in January 2000, taking into account the significant increases over the past few years in international visitors entering Hong Kong via Macau, and through Macau International Airport. To ensure that overall year-on-year comparisons are valid, the July 1998 and July 1999 figures quoted here have also been adjusted to include those non-Macanese arrivals from Macau.