17% rise in long-haul visitors to Hong Kong in April

The number of long-haul visitors to Hong Kong rose 17 per cent year on year in April, with double-digit growth reported for the first four months of 2025 overall and tourist momentum expected to continue.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Thursday that the number of visitors from long-haul markets reached 343,023 in April, a 17 per cent increase from the same period last year. The figure accounted for 8.9 per cent of the 3.84 million arrivals in the month.

Overall, the city welcomed 13 per cent more visitors in April compared with a year ago.

The number of incoming travellers in the first four months of 2025 stood at 16.07 million, a 10 per cent increase from the same period last year.

The number of mainland Chinese visitors heading to the city for the month reached 2.81 million, accounting for 73.17 per cent of arrivals and representing a 13 per cent increase year on year.

“The recent weaknesses in the Hong Kong dollar against other regional currencies will be good news to overseas travellers, which could help to sustain the growth in arrival figures,” said Ryan Lam Chun-wang, head of research at Shanghai Commercial Bank.

Lam estimated that the number of short- and long-haul arrivals could increase by a high-single-digit percentage for May or June.