Hong Kong aims to double Indian tourists with event lineup

Hong Kong tourism: With a lineup of festivals and activities throughout the year, Hong Kong is looking at doubling the number of tourists from India, according to a PTI report. In 2022, the destination received 208,000 visitors from India.

"We want to double this number this year and have many festivals and events lined up to boost tourism this year," Hong Kong Tourism Board Director, South Asia and Middle East, Puneet Kumar told PTI.

"In the first half of 2024, Hong Kong welcomed 181,000 visitors from India, which is 89 per cent of the pre-Covid time," Kumar added.

Aiming beyond 2018

Encouraged by this momentum, the Tourism Board hopes to surpass the pre-Covid visitor numbers from 2018, a benchmark year before the 2019 protests and flight cancellations that severely impacted the tourism sector.

In 2018, around 400,000 Indians visited Hong Kong, part of the 33 million international travellers that year. By 2023, Hong Kong hosted 34 million international visitors, and 21 million travelled to the city between January and June 2024.

Kumar stressed Hong Kong's appeal as a year-round destination, bolstered by its connectivity to major Indian cities and its visa-free status. "Indian travellers only need a quick pre-arrival registration on the Hong Kong immigration website, which takes about 10 minutes," he added.

Targeting Indian youth

The Tourism Board is particularly targeting Gen Z and Millennials in India, who are driving tourism growth with their interest in concerts and festivals. "We aim to encourage frequent and repeat travel by positioning Hong Kong as Asia's event capital," Kumar further said.

The plan includes focusing on both leisure and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) segments. India is amongst the top five markets for incentive group travel to Hong Kong. He said Indian visitors are to spenders, averaging HKD 9,139 per person, and their stay duration has increased to an average of 4.5 days, up from 3 days in 2018.

(With PTI Inputs)