General Information » Economy » Tourism

Tourism contributes a significant chunk of the services revenues described above. In 2005, Hong Kong received over $100 billion from inbound tourism – just over 7% of total GDP.

In 2005, over 23 million people visited Hong Kong, almost double the 13 million that visited in 2000. Most of this increase can be traced back to the Chinese government’s decision to make it easier for its citizens to visit Hong Kong: over the same 2000-2005 period, visitors from Mainland China have increased from 3.8 million to 12.5 million.

Looking ahead, the Hong Kong Tourist Board (HKTB) says they aim to beat the UNWTO’s forecast of Hong Kong attracting more than 56 million visitors a year by 2020. Despite the impressive growth listed above, it slowed significantly in 2005, so it is far from certain that they can meet that goal.

Who is the target visitor? Geographically, the HKTB tries to appeal to tourists from a broad mix of countries rather than focusing on one or two, thereby reducing the risk if one country’s arrivals fall off. In terms of market segments, attracting more families and business visitors is seen as key to Hong Kong’s future tourism success. Two developments which opened in 2005 targeted those segments: Disneyland in September, then AsiaWorld-Expo (Hong Kong’s largest exhibition and events complex) in December.

The HKTB is also trying to paint a much broader picture of the SAR’s attractions, instead of relying on the simple ‘food and shopping’ themes they’ve used in the past. Again, they’re reaching out to families, stressing educational experiences to augment the fun activities. The Hong Kong Wetland Park, which has recently opened, is a good example of this plan in action.

All these visitors need somewhere to stay. By the end of 2006, Hong Kong had 44,942 rooms provided in 123 hotels and 5,372 rooms provided in 484 tourist guesthouses. With occupancy rates steady at over 80%, extra capacity is clearly needed. The first steps have already been taken to meet this growing demand and over 20 hotels opened in 2005 and 2006 so there is plenty of choice for all visitors.