Hong Kong visitor numbers exceed pre-recession levels

Visitor numbers to Hong Kong last month skyrocketed to a record high, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced last week.

A significant 38.9 percent increase in arrivals year-on-year for May took the total number of visitors to Hong Kong to a record-breaking 2,815,295.

This year?s total accumulative numbers have exceeded pre-financial crisis levels, with 14,236,294 visitors recorded for the first five months of 2010, a 19.9 percent increase over the same period in 2008.

The biggest increases recorded last month have been for visitors from emerging markets. Arrivals from India were up 78.7 percent in May year-on-year, while a visa-free arrangement with Russia has seen arrivals from the country more than double with an increase of 169 percent recorded.

Europe?s debt woes appear to have had little effect on long-haul market regions, including the Americas, which increased by 15 percent year-on-year last month, but short-haul markets provided the greatest number of visitors to Hong Kong.

A steady increase in arrivals from Mainland China registered a 46.8 percent increase in visitor numbers for May, which is evidence of the growing popularity of Hong Kong among Mainland Chinese as a destination for short-breaks, the HKTB said.

Riding on the back of appreciating YEN and WON currencies, South and Southeast Asia provided the greatest number of visitors to Hong Kong, posting a 48.5 percent increase in numbers last month.