Visitor numbers in Hong Kong rose about 14 per cent during the Chinese New Year holiday but more residents left the city, while local retailers reported bumper sales of gold products.
Some retailers reported single purchases worth millions of Hong Kong dollars within categories such as watches and jewellery, even as the broader retail recovery remained uneven.
Immigration Department figures showed trips made by visitors – from mainland China and elsewhere – rose about 14 per cent year on year to 1.77 million from February 15 to 23, driven by 14 per cent growth in travellers from across the border.
However, Hong Kong residents made 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year, resulting in a net outflow of people despite inbound tourism rebounding.
About 10.82 million passenger trips were made through Hong Kong’s sea, land and air border control points between February 13 and 23.
The figure was slightly below the government’s earlier projection of 11.38 million, suggesting cross-boundary flows were broadly in line with official expectations but marginally softer.
