Bangkok--4 Apr--Francom Asia
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) released today (30 March) the 2006 tourism spending figures, which show that the Total Expenditure Associated to Inbound Tourism (TEAIT) grew by 12.7% compared with 2005 to a record high of HK$119.43 billion, exceeding the original forecast by more than HK$4.7 billion. This means that the TEAIT for both 2005 and 2006, when the HKTB implemented the Discover Hong Kong Year campaign, exceeded the original forecast by more than HK$12 billion. The HKTB also announced that tourism arrivals for February 2007 reached a new high for the month of more than 2.28 million.
The 2006 spending figures showcase the increasing contribution of tourism to Hong Kong’s economy, with all market regions recording increases in total and per capita spending. The average per capita spending of overnight visitors (those staying one night or more) grew by 2.9% to HK$4,799, while that of the same-day in-town visitors increased significantly by 25.3% from HK$810 in 2005 to HK$1,015 in 2006. A key factor leading to the growth of same-day, in-town visitor spending is the higher-than-average spending by consumption visitors from Mainland China — a key high-yield target segment of the HKTB during 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year.
As for February 2007 arrivals, the more than 2.28 million visitors represented an increase of 18.2% compared with the same month in 2006. The growth was largely driven by the robust performance of Mainland China during the Lunar New Year period, which has become a popular time to visit Hong Kong for leisure, especially with the convenience of the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS). As a result, the market registered double-digit increase in arrivals.
In a countervailing trend, arrivals from the long-haul market regions of the Americas, and Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific decreased, due to a slowdown in business travel during the Chinese New Year holidays.
More than 1.41 million February arrivals (62.0% of the total) stayed in the city for at least one night, while the remainder of over 868,400 (38.0%) were classified as same-day in-town visitors.
Arrivals from key regional source markets were:
- Mainland China: 1,481,029 (29.8%);
- Taiwan: 188,537 (7.0%);
- South & Southeast Asia: 141,780 (-7.3%);
- North Asia: 158,017 (1.8%);
- Europe, Africa & the Middle East: 128,848 (2.8%);
- The Americas: 99,911 (-2.2%); and
- Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific: 37,732 (-7.4%).
Visitors from Mainland China represented 64.8% of February arrivals. Travellers under the IVS in February numbered 918,310, 62.0% of the Mainland total and 59.9% more than in the same month last year.
Note to editors:
Tourism spending figures for 2006 were calculated according to a methodology recommended by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). This covers visitor spending on goods and services while in Hong Kong, including accommodation, shopping, meals, entertainment and transport, as well as receipts by Hong Kong-based carriers for inbound and outbound air, land and sea transportation.
2006 Tourism Expenditure
- The Total Expenditure Associated to Inbound Tourism (TEAIT) grew by 12.7% in 2006 to a new high of HK$119.43 billion, exceeding the original forecast by more than HK$4.7 billion. The TEAIT for both 2005 and 2006, when the HKTB implemented the two-year Discover Hong Kong Year campaign, exceeded the original forecast by more than HK$12 billion.
- The average Per Capita Spending of overnight visitors (those staying one night or more) grew by 2.9% to HK$4,799, while that of same-day in-town visitors increased significantly by 25.3% from HK$810 in 2005 to HK$1,015 in 2006.
- Arrivals from The Americas had the highest Per Capita Spending among overnight visitors, at HK$5,505 (a 0.5% increase over 2005), closely followed by Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific at HK$5,463 (7.8%), Europe, Africa & The Middle East at HK$5,366 (0.7%) and Taiwan at HK$5,329 (8.4%). Other regional figures were Mainland China at HK$4,705 (3.3%), South & Southeast Asia at HK$4,550 (4.0%) and North Asia at HK$4,316 (0.4%).
- Among same-day in-town visitors, arrivals from Macau and Mainland China had the highest Per Capita Spending, at HK$1,590 (a rise of 23.8% over 2005) and HK$1,537 (a 23.3% increase) respectively, while Europe, Africa & the Middle East registered the strongest growth (39.5%).
February 2007 Overall Arrival Statistics
- Overall tourism arrivals to Hong Kong numbered 2,286,100 in February, an increase of 18.2% compared with the same month in 2006. Cumulative arrivals for the first two months of 2007 have risen to 4,452,653, 8.0% more than in the same period last year.
February 2007 Arrivals by Markets
- The 1,481,029 arrivals from Mainland China in February took the cumulative total for the first two months to 2,691,591, a year-on-year increase of 9.1%. Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) arrivals in February numbered 918,310, 62.0% of all Mainland visitors and 59.9% more than in the same month in 2006. The cumulative IVS total for the first two months now stands at 1,567,689, 58.2% of all arrivals from the Mainland and a 23.2% rise over 2006.
- February arrivals from Taiwan grew by 7.0% to 188,537, bringing the cumulative two-month total to 358,646, almost identical to the 2006 figure.
- Although February arrivals from South & Southeast Asia fell by 7.3% to 141,780, the overall total for the first two months of the year increased by 1.3% to 325,895.
- North Asian arrivals in February reached 158,017, which included 64,272 visitors from South Korea, an increase of 8.9%, and 93,745 from Japan, a slight fall of 2.6%. Cumulative arrivals for January-February numbered 355,325, 11.9% more than in 2006, with South Korean arrivals up by 20.0% and those from Japan by 6.9%.
- The 128,848 (2.8%) arrivals from Europe, Africa and the Middle East in February took the cumulative total for the first two months of 2007 to 291,466, a 14.8% increase. The Americas’ 99,911 visitors brought the January-February total to 233,887, a 5.7% increase, while Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific’s 37,732 visitors took cumulative arrivals from the region to 101,949, up 3.8%.
February 2007 Same-Day In-Town Visitors
- Some 38.0% of all visitors to Hong Kong in February were classified as same-day in-town arrivals, which is 2.3 percentage points higher than for the same month last year. The other 62.0% of visitors to Hong Kong stayed in the city for at least one night.
- During January and February 2007, 61.9% of all visitors stayed for one night or more, 1.5 percentage points lower than in the first two months of 2006.
February 2007 Hotel Occupancy
- Hotel occupancy across all categories of hotels in February was 80%, a fall of 7.0 percentage points compared with the same month in 2006.
- The geographic location with the highest occupancy in February was Yau Ma Tei/Mong Kok, where hotels recorded a rate of 84%.
- The average achieved hotel room rate across all hotel categories was HK$1,024, 9.1% higher than in February 2006.
- The average hotel occupancy for January-February 2007 is 83.0%, three percentage points lower than in 2006. The average achieved hotel room rate is $1,099, 11.7% higher than in the same period of 2006.
For more information please contact:
Ms. Wandee Lerdsupongkit or Wipakorn Komonkitisakul
Tel: 0 2233 4329-30 Fax: 0 2236 8030
E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.DiscoverHongKong.com