Events such as Art Basel Hong Kong and ComplexCon helped drive a 14 per cent year-on-year growth in visitor arrivals in March, but the US-Israel war with Iran could bring volatility to the travel market, the Tourism Board has said.
The increase contributed to a 17 per cent year-on-year rise in visitor numbers in the first quarter of the year, hitting a total of 14.31 million.
“In the coming months, developments in the Middle East may lead to volatility in the tourism market. We will closely monitor the latest situation and flexibly deploy resources to maximise promotional effectiveness,” the board said.
Hong Kong welcomed a total of 4.35 million visitors in March.
In the first quarter of the year, there were close to 11.1 million mainland Chinese visitors to the city, a 20 per cent year-on-year increase, driven by several mega-events in the city and promotional campaigns targetted at the extended Lunar New Year holiday on the mainland, the board said.
It also noted that international visitors and those from Macau saw an 8 per cent year-on-year rise to 3.2 million, saying the increase was driven by “the strong line-up of world-class art and cultural events” such as Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Central and ComplexCon, among others.
