Did Chinese New Year boost Hong Kong’s visitor figures for January, February?

2026.03.17 07:20 Mainland tourists visit the former Yau Ma Tei police station. Photo: Sam Tsang Hong Kong welcomed 9.95 million visitors in the first two months of this year, an 18 per cent increase from the same period last year, with the uptick primarily driven by mainland travellers visiting the city over the Chinese New Year period. Provisional figures released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board on Tuesday showed that 7.89 million mainland Chinese visitors travelled to the city in January and February, representing a 22 per cent year-on-year rise. They also accounted for 79.3 per cent of the total arrivals recorded over the first two months of this year. The total number of arrivals for February alone stood at 5.14 million, a 40 per cent increase from the previous year, with the Tourism Board attributing the rise to the mainland’s longer Chinese New Year holiday period and various mega-events hosted across the city. In terms of mainland arrivals that month, the figure represented a 53 per cent increase from February 2025. Last year’s Chinese New Year took place in January. A breakdown of the latest figures showed that visitor arrivals from non-mainland markets reached 2.06 million in the first two months of 2026, an 8 per cent year-on-year increase. “With notable results from long-haul markets, the number of visitors from Australia, France and Germany grew by 20 to 30 per cent year on year,” the board said. Tourists queue to enter a luxury store in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: Sam Tsang Travellers from short-haul markets, excluding the mainland, only increased by a marginal 0.1 per cent year on year for the same period. February alone recorded a 9 per cent drop in terms of short-haul travellers. The board said the fluctuation regarding short-haul markets was due to different Spring Festival holidays and dates for Ramadan. The Airport Authority also reported on Tuesday that passenger traffic at Hong Kong International Airport surged by 20.1 per cent in February to 5.42 mill

原文链接: 南华早报