Bangkok--13 Oct--Francom Asia Figures released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) showed that visitor arrivals in August 2008 reached 2,679,092, 2.9% less than in August 2007. This brings cumulative arrivals for the first eight months of 2008 to 19,573,971, 7.3% ahead of the same period last year. With the exception of Mainland China, long- and short-haul market regions recorded drop in arrivals in August 2008, being continually affected by a combination of factors in the macro environment, such as economic downturn and the Mainland’s adjustment in visa policy. As for Mainland China, arrivals grew by 0.8% to 1,699,309, largely due to the fact that many Mainland visitors stayed home during the Olympics. Below summarises visitor arrivals from different market regions: - Mainland China: 1,699,309 (+0.8%) - Taiwan: 213,552 (-0.4%) - North Asia: 197,233 (-2.9%) - South & Southeast Asia: 188,345 (-13.6%) - Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific: 47,746 (-15.7%) - The Americas: 109,931 (-15.8%) - Europe, Africa & the Middle East: 143,928 (-20.5%) Out of the total Mainland arrivals in August 2008, 1,079,592 or 63.5% arrived under the Individual Visit Scheme, 2.6% more than in August 2007. Cumulatively, there were 6,454,642 arrivals under the Individual Visit Scheme in the first eight months of 2008, 13.1% more than for the same period in 2007. Overnight Vs Same-Day In-Town Visitors Some 60.4% of all visitors to Hong Kong in August stayed in the city for at least one night, 4.2 percentage points lower than for the same month last year. The remaining 39.6% same-day in-town visitors either returned home or left for another destination on the same day as arrival. August 2008 Hotel Occupancy Hotel occupancy across all categories of hotels in August 2008 was 85%, six percentage points lower than in August 2007. The geographic locations with the highest occupancy were Kowloon districts (other than Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok), New Territories and the outlying islands, where hotels recorded average occupancy rate of 88%. The average achieved hotel room rate across all hotel categories was HK$1,107, 6.2% higher than in August 2007. Note: Visitor arrivals mentioned in this release include both overnight visitors and same-day in-town visitors. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), visitors are divided into two categories: (i) tourists or overnight visitors, if the trip involves an overnight stay; and (ii) same-day visitors or excursionists, if the trip does not involve an overnight stay. Media can download the press release and photo from the HKTB’s DiscoverHongKong.com website: http:// www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/worldwide/medi/ww_medi_news.jhtml For media enquiries, please contact: Ms. Wandee Lerdsupongkit Tel. 02233 4329/30 Fax 02236 8030 Email: [email protected]