Hong Kong’s tourism arrivals will recover to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year, according to official estimates, as the city aims to boost its economy by drawing more “high-value visitors”.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board forecast 46 million tourists would visit the city this year, 35 per cent higher than last year, but only representing 70 per cent of the 65 million tourists that visited in 2018, according to the 2024-25 budget of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.
The board budgeted HK$1.5 billion (US$191.7 million) to promote Hong Kong as a tourism destination for “high-value tourists” as it anticipated spending for each overnight visitor per capita to shrink as much as 16.4 per cent to HK$5,800 this year from HK$6,939 last year.
It also expected visitors would spend a shorter time in Hong…
