Hong Kong Tourism Board says that 280,000 Indian travellers visited Hong Kong in 2023 and now the country is looking to double that number by the end of 2024. 

According to a press statement, HKTB says it has recorded 181,000 Indian arrivals so far in the first half of the year. The upward trend has further fostered hopes for the tourism board to surpass the pre-Covid arrival figures from 2018.

Puneet Kumar

“Our goal is to double this figure this year. We have an array of festivals and events planned to enhance tourism. By the end of the first half of 2024, Hong Kong welcomed 181,000 visitors from India, which is 89 pc of pre-Covid levels,” says Puneet Kumar, Director for South Asia and the Middle East at the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

HKTB is positioning the city as a year-round destination with major events and festivals, Kumar says. In 2018, approximately 400,000 Indians and a total of 33 million international travellers visited the Special Administrative Region of the Republic of China. 

The city saw 34 million international visitors in 2023, and this year so far, 21 million travellers have already visited Hong Kong.

He highlighted the ease of travel, saying that Hong Kong is well-connected to major Indian cities and offers visa-free entry for Indian travellers, who only need to complete a pre-arrival registration online, which takes about 10 minutes.

He noted that Indian travellers are among the top spenders in Hong Kong, with an average expenditure of HKD 9,139 (USD 1172) per person. 

Moreover, the average length of stay for Indian visitors has increased from three days in 2018 to 4.5 days in 2024.

With a primary focus on Gen Z and Millennials, HKTB hopes to encourage frequent and return visits. 

“We are promoting Hong Kong as the event capital of Asia, catering to an age group that is highly interested in concerts and festivals, thus encouraging them to visit Hong Kong regularly,” Kumar adds.

The board is focusing on both leisure and meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) segments. For leisure, Hong Kong is looking at families who would like to enjoy cruise holidays. India is a key market for incentive group travel for Hong Kong as well, Kumar adds.