Hong Kong tourism hits $210 billion jackpot

Visitors’ spending topped HK$200 billion for the first time last year, on the back of increased tourist arrivals, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said.
Buoyed by strong growth in the mainland and a weak Hong Kong dollar, spending by visitors amounted to HK$210 billion in 2010, up 32 percent from 2009. The total number of visitors reached 36.03 million, up 21.8 percent.

“The increase in arrivals, along with the strengthening of most currencies against the Hong Kong dollar, which stimulated visitors’ spending, led to remarkable growth in the total tourism expenditure,” board chairman James Tien Pei-chun said yesterday.

All market regions achieved “remarkable growth,” with outstanding performances by the long-haul regions, including the Americas and Europe, the board said. Mainlanders accounted for more than 60 percent of 2010 visitors, and they continued to be the top spenders, splashing out an average of HK$7,453 per trip of two to three days.

They were followed by Australians and New Zealanders, whose average spending per trip was HK$7,050.

Visitors from Europe, Africa and the Middle East spent an average of HK$6,674.

Shopping remained the top tourist activity, with expenditures rising 33.5 percent to HK$109.59 billion last year. Clothing, cosmetics and snacks were the most popular items for travelers.

Nearly half of those interviewed by the board at checkpoints said they purchased ready-made wear, while 32 percent said they bought skin-care and cosmetics products.

The board predicted the tourist sector will continue to grow this year, with the number of visitors likely to reach 40 million.

Meanwhile, tourism receipts may rise by another 16 percent to HK$244.40 billion. The forecast was made assuming that “the global economy remains stable, and the mainland maintains its robust economic growth.”