Tourism in Hong Kong

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Peak Tram can reach Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island Hongkong peak tram.jpg
Peak Tram can reach Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island
Victoria Harbour at night from Victoria Peak Hong Kong at night from Victoria Peak.jpg
Victoria Harbour at night from Victoria Peak
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum on Hong Kong Island Dr.SunYat-senMuseum.JPG
Dr. Sun Yat-sen Museum on Hong Kong Island
Star Ferry Pier, Central on Hong Kong Island Ferry of Hong Kong.JPG
Star Ferry Pier, Central on Hong Kong Island
The Clock Tower at Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Clock Tower, taken in 2011.JPG
The Clock Tower at Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

The tourism industry has been an important part of the economy of Hong Kong since it shifted to a service sector model in the late 1980s and early 90s. There has been a sharp increase of domestic tourists from Mainland China following the introduction of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) in 2003.

Contents

Background

The total tourism expenditure associated with inbound tourism reached HK$7,333 per capita in 2011. According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Overall visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in 2010 totalled just over 36 million, a 21.8% increase over the previous year. The numbers included approximately 22.5 million mainland Chinese arrivals, 8.2 million short-haul (excluding Mainland) arrivals, and 4.8 million long-haul arrivals. [1] In July 2011 more than 3.8 million visitors arrived in Hong Kong, equivalent to more than half of Hong Kong's population and setting an outright record for a single month. [2]

Along with the strong growth in the number of Mainland visitors, most other long and short-haul markets are also performing healthily with double-digit growth over 2006. Among long-haul markets, Europe, Africa and the Middle East took the lead with arrivals of 1,916,861, an 11.1% increase that made this Hong Kong's best-performing market region in 2006.

While facing increasing competition from Mainland cities and Macau, the Hong Kong Tourism Board works closely with authorities and trade to make Hong Kong an essential component in all combo and multi-destination itineraries.

Tourism, along with international trade and financial services are the three main sources of income for Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong's finance secretary, since the protests of 2019, tourism has plunged by 40% compared to 2018. [3]

Accommodation and length of stay

In December 2006, there were 612 hotels and tourist guest houses in Hong Kong, with 52,512 rooms. The average occupancy rate across all categories of hotels and tourist guesthouses was 87% for the whole of 2006, a one-percentage-point growth compared with 2005 despite the 7.4% increase in Hong Kong's room supply between December 2005 and December 2006. During 2006, 62.7% of all visitors stayed one night or longer, which is a trend reflecting Hong Kong's increasing importance as a regional transport hub.

Tourism Commission

The Tourism Commission was established in May 1999 to promote Hong Kong as Asia's premier international city for all visitors. A Tourism Strategy Group, comprising representatives from the Government, the HKTB and various sectors of the tourism industry has been established to advise the Government on tourism development from a strategic perspective.

Top most visiting nationalities

Most visitors arriving to Hong Kong were from the following country or territory of residence: [4] [5] [6] [7]

Country/TerritoryTotal
10/20242023201920182017201620152014
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Mainland China 28,384,48026,760,45343,774,68551,038,23044,445,25942,778,14545,842,36047,247,675
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan 1,028,912783,7781,538,9151,925,2342,010,7552,011,4282,015,7972,031,883
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines 920,113763,778875,897894,821894,489791,171704,082634,744
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 703,334594,7521,107,1651,304,2321,215,6291,211,5391,181,0241,130,566
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 673,139402,9991,042,5401,421,4111,487,6701,392,3671,243,2931,251,047
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 448,318346,3891,078,8361,287,7731,230,0101,092,3291,049,2721,078,766
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 416,571450,372467,048571,606560,207594,615529,410485,121
Flag of Singapore.svg  Singapore 333,587400,029453,182610,508627,612674,006675,411737,911
Flag of India.svg  India 311,062207,655337,997386,681392,853480,906531,770516,084
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 305,020258,191392,562510,601516,701535,542544,688589,886
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia 282,149252,432375,781427,007482,022464,406413,568492,004
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 281,400240,705505,523580,167567,881575,812574,270603,841
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 253,636209,028318,479377,992370,335369,363358,448354,408
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 238,237212,286518,378572,739555,353551,930529,505520,855
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 136,527106,767217,779226,819225,183226,594213,802218,530
Flag of France.svg  France 116,58486,255177,768201,850204,130213,641209,825217,065
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 104,18256,063138,679161,916148,098142,664151,469202,141
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands 65,71249,53085,22793,86394,82695,76291,59692,795
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 39,83734,66244,40656,80755,65259,44358,96955,013
Total36,678,79933,999,66055,912,60965,147,55558,472,15756,654,90359,307,59660,838,836

Attractions and facilities

The following locations are areas generally marked as main attractions.

Hong Kong Island

Kowloon

Including New Kowloon

New Territories

Including the Outlying Islands

Retail

Because Hong Kong benefits from favorable taxation rules, it is a favored location for tourists from elsewhere in China to purchase luxury goods like cosmetics, jewelry, and designer fashion goods. [8] :116

Tourism events

Hong Kong has a number a events throughout the year that are aimed at attracting visitors. The authority claims that Hong Kong is an Events Capital of Asia.

International Chinese New Year Night Parade

First organised in 1996, the International Chinese New Year Night Parade is one of the most important celebratory events during Chinese New Year in Hong Kong. Originally it was held during day time on Hong Kong Island, and from 2004 onward the event has been held during night time in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Apart from the decorated floats, the parade also features local and international performance groups. [9]

The 2018 parade attracted over 150,000 spectators, half of them were visitors. [10]

Accessing Hong Kong

To facilitate entry of visitors, various measures were introduced in 2002. The quota of the Hong Kong Tour Group Scheme of Mainland visitors has been abolished since January 2002. The number of Mainland travel agents authorized to organize such tours has also increased significantly. Nationals from some 170 countries can visit Hong Kong visa free for period from seven days to 180 days. The Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) was introduced on 28 July 2003. The Scheme has been gradually extended and now covers Guangdong province, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Tianjin and nine cities in Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. In 2006, over 6.6 million Mainland citizens traveled to Hong Kong under the IVS, which is 20.2% more than 2005.

Promotion

The HKTB continues to promote the destination to business and leisure travellers through its worldwide "Hong Kong – Live it, Love it!" campaign. Leveraging on the opening of several new attractions from 2005 onwards, the HKTB has designated 2006 as "Discover Hong Kong Year". The global marketing campaign makes use of a series of strategic promotions to showcase the new image of Hong Kong and promote it as a "must-visit" destination in 2006. The HKTB began its travel trade promotion in May 2005 and rolled out the consumer promotions worldwide in late 2005. Aloagreement, a series of joint overseas marketing initiatives is being conducted with Macau and the nine provincial tourism bureaus concerned.

Controversies

Birth tourism in Hong Kong

In the years up to till 2012, birth tourism in Hong Kong had been increasing. [11] Pregnant mainland women seeking to give birth in Hong Kong, specifically to benefit from the right of abode. [12] Their parents came from mainland to give birth in Hong Kong, which resulted in their children gaining the right to abode and enjoy social welfare in the city. Hong Kong citizens expressed concerns that the pregnant women and babies put heavier burden on Hong Kong's medical system. [13] Some of them even called mainland people "locusts" which take away Hong Kong's resources from locals. [14] Over 170,000 new births where both parents were mainland people between 2001 and 2011, [15] of which 32,653 were born in 2010. [13] CY Leung's first public announcement on policy as Chief Executive-elect was to impose a 'zero' quota on mainland mothers giving birth in Hong Kong. Leung further underlined that those who did may not be able to secure the right of abode for their offspring in Hong Kong. [12]

Parallel trading in Hong Kong

Since 2012, there have been more mainland parallel traders coming to the northern parts of Hong Kong to import goods and export them back to mainland, which earns them some money for each transfer. Some products that are popular among these traders, such as infant formula, faced shortage in Hong Kong for an extended time as a result. [16] This made the government impose restrictions on the amount of milk powder exports from Hong Kong. [17] Besides, since northern places like Sheung Shui became the transaction centres of the traders, this resulted in discontent from nearby residents. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economy of Macau</span>

The economy of Macau is a highly developed market economy. Macau's economy has remained one of the most open in the world since its handover to China in 1999. Apparel exports and gambling-related tourism are mainstays of the economy. Since Macau has little arable land and few natural resources, it depends on mainland China for most of its food, fresh water, and energy imports. Japan and Hong Kong are the main suppliers of raw materials and capital goods. Although Macau was hit hard by the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis and the early 2000s recession, its economy grew approximately 13.1% annually on average between 2001 and 2006. Macau is a full Member of the World Trade Organization. Public security has greatly improved after handover to the People's Republic of China. With the tax revenue from the profitable gambling industry, the Macau government is able to introduce the social welfare program of 15 years of free education to all Macau citizens. In 2015, Macau's economy saw a sharp decrease due to the reduced spending by visitors from Mainland China since the Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping.

The Three Links or Three Linkages was a 1979 proposal from the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to open up postal, transportation, and trade links between mainland China and Taiwan, with the goal of unifying Mainland China and Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Individual Visit Scheme</span> Individual visas for visiting Hong Kong and Macau

The Individual Visit Scheme begun on 28 July 2003 allowing travelers from Mainland China to visit Hong Kong and Macau on an individual basis; prior to the Scheme, Mainland residents could only visit on business visas or on group tours.

Right of abode in Hong Kong entitles a person to live and work in the territory without any restrictions or conditions of stay. Someone who has that right is a Hong Kong permanent resident. Foreign nationals may acquire the right of abode after meeting a seven-year residency requirement and are given most rights usually associated with citizenship, including the right to vote in regional elections. However, they are not entitled to hold territorial passports or stand for office in some Legislative Council constituencies, unless they also naturalise as Chinese citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Macau</span>

Tourism is a major industry in Macau. It is famous for the blend of Portuguese and Chinese cultures and its gambling industry, which includes Casino Lisboa, Macau, Sands Macau, The Venetian Macao, and Wynn Macau.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport</span> Passport issued to permanent residents of Hong Kong who are Chinese citizens

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport is a passport issued only to permanent residents of Hong Kong who also hold Chinese citizenship. In accordance with the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, since the handover in 1997, the passport has been issued by the Immigration Department of the Government of Hong Kong under the authorisation of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. As the official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese and English, the passport is printed bilingually in both Chinese and English. In addition, unlike Chinese passport which can be directly issued by Chinese diplomatic missions abroad, the Immigration Department of Hong Kong is the only issuing authority for HKSAR passports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong identity card</span> Official identity document for Hong Kong residents

The Hong Kong identity card is an official identity document issued by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong. According to the Registration of Persons Ordinance, all residents of age 11 or above who are living in Hong Kong for longer than 180 days must, within 30 days of either reaching the age of 11 or arriving in Hong Kong, register for an HKID. HKIDs contain amongst others the name of the bearer in English, and if applicable in Chinese. The HKID does not expire for the duration of residency in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One-way Permit</span> Travel document

The Permit for Proceeding to Hong Kong and Macao, colloquially known as the One-way Permit, is a travel document issued by the Exit and Entry Administration of the People's Republic of China. This passport-size document is issued for its bearers, Chinese citizens residing in the mainland with relatives in Hong Kong or Macau, to proceed to the special administrative regions for residency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong Tourism Board</span> Hong Kong government departments and agencie

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a Government-subverted body founded in 2001. The HKTB replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) that was established in 1957. It has 15 branch offices and representative offices in 6 markets around the world, and its primary mission is to maximize the social and economic contribution that tourism makes to the community of Hong Kong and consolidate the city's position as a desired destination. The HKTA works with the Government, travel industry and other partners to market and promote Hong Kong worldwide, improving the range and quality of visitor facilities, tourism service standards and enhancing the experiences of visitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birth tourism</span> Travel to give birth in another country

Birth tourism is the practice of traveling to another country or city for the purpose of giving birth in that country. The main reason for birth tourism is to obtain citizenship for the child in a country with birthright citizenship. Such a child is sometimes called an "anchor baby" if their citizenship is intended to help their parents obtain permanent residency in the country. Other reasons for birth tourism include access to public schooling, healthcare, sponsorship for the parents in the future, hedge against corruption and political instability in the children’s home country. Popular destinations include the United States and Canada. Another target for birth tourism is Hong Kong, where some mainland Chinese citizens travel to give birth to gain right of abode for their children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entry & Exit Permit for Taiwan</span>

The Taiwan Entry Permit (入臺證), formally the Exit & Entry Permit Taiwan Republic of China, is an entry permit issued by the National Immigration Agency in Taiwan for Chinese citizens from mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau to enter and exit the Taiwan Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese passport</span> Passport issued to Chinese mainland nationals

The People's Republic of China passport is a passport issued to citizens of the People's Republic of China for the purpose of international travel, and entitles its bearer to the protection of China's consular officials overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Taiwan</span> Policy on permits required to enter Taiwan (ROC)

Visitors to the Republic of China (Taiwan) must obtain a visa or authorization in advance, unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or countries whose nationals are eligible for visa on arrival. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Macau</span> Policy on permits required to enter Macau

The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region allows citizens of specific countries/territories to travel to Macau for tourism or business purposes for periods ranging from 14 to 180 days without having to obtain a visa. For other entry purposes, such as establishing residence on a long-term basis, a different policy applies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of mainland China</span> Policy on permits required to enter mainland China

The visa policy of mainland China deals with the requirements which a foreign national must meet to travel to, enter, and remain in the mainland of the People's Republic of China. Several categories of visas are available, depending on the purpose and length of stay. Chinese visas are issued outside China by the Chinese diplomatic missions, and in China by the exit and entry administrations (EEAs) of the county-level public security bureaus (PSBs). Visa exemptions exist for nationals of certain countries based on bilateral agreements and unilateral decisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Hong Kong</span> Policy on permits required to enter Hong Kong

The visa policy of Hong Kong deals with the requirements in which a foreign national wishing to enter Hong Kong through one of the 15 immigration control points must meet to obtain an entry permit or Visa, which depending on the traveller's nationality, may be required to travel to, enter, and remain in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Visitors from over 145 countries are permitted without Visa entry for periods ranging from 7 to 180 days, to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for tourism or certain business-related activities. All visitors must hold a passport valid for more than 1 month.

e-Channel

e-Channel, also known as The Automated Passenger Clearance System, is an expedited border control system introduced by the Hong Kong Immigration Department in 2004, designed to speed up border immigration processes for residents of Hong Kong, Macau and frequent visitors to Hong Kong entering and exiting the territory whether it be by land, air or sea via the use of self-service kiosks employed at various border control points.

Mainland Chinese or mainlanders are Chinese people who live in or have recently emigrated from mainland China, defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (PRC) except for Hong Kong, Macau, and the partly-PRC-controlled South China Sea Islands, and also excluding certain territories that are claimed by the PRC but not controlled, namely Taiwan a.k.a. the "Republic of China" (ROC), which is a state with limited recognition, and other associated territories that are ruled by Taiwan. The term also refers to historical groups of people of Chinese origin who immigrated to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan during the 20th century, especially in the context of specific historical events.

The term "anchor babies in Hong Kong" refers to children born in Hong Kong whose parents are not Hong Kong permanent residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong–Macau relations</span> Bilateral relations

Hong Kong–Macau relations refers to bilateral relations between Hong Kong and Macau, both the only special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China.

References

  1. Release of Provisional Visitor Arrivals for 2010, Hong Kong Tourism Board, 7 January 2011
  2. Visitor Arrivals in July Exceed 3.8 Million to Break Single-Month Record, Hong Kong Tourism Board, 26 August 2011
  3. "Hong Kong August visitors plunge 40% year-on-year, hotels..." Reuters. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  4. "Visitor Arrival Statistics, 2015–2016" (PDF). securepartnernet.hktb.com. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  5. "2016 年 12 月訪港旅客統計 Monthly Report - Visitor Arrivals Statistics : Dec 2016" (PDF). partnernet.hktb.com. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Visitor Arrivals | Hong Kong Tourism Board". www.discoverhongkong.com. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  8. Simpson, Tim (2023). Betting on Macau: Casino Capitalism and China's Consumer Revolution. Globalization and Community series. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN   978-1-5179-0031-1.
  9. "Hong Kong Chinese New Year".
  10. "15萬人觀賞花車巡遊表演 狗年行好運". Apple Daily 蘋果日報. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  11. "The Fertility Trend in Hong Kong, 1981 to 2012". "Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department". December 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2014
  12. 1 2 Luk, Eddie (17 April 2012). "Door shuts on moms" Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine . The Standard.
  13. 1 2 "LCQ4: Obstetric services". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  14. "800人捐款 五日籌十萬高登下周登報促截「雙非」". Apple Daily. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2014
  15. (in Chinese) 自由黨倡停發雙非嬰居港權 Archived 18 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Jennifer, Ngo "Milk powder supplies still not meeting needs". South China Morning Post. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014
  17. "Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department - Import and Export (General)(Amendment) Regulation 2013 ( with effect from 1 March 2013 ) - Quantity of Powdered Formula for Persons Departing from Hong Kong". www.customs.gov.hk. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  18. E-Brochure

See also