Yiu Pak-leung urges longer stays to lift spending
RTHK · 3 SOURCESabout 7 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Yiu Pak-leung said Hong Kong’s tourism market is facing a structural shift after the pandemic, with visitors spending differently and increasingly seeking experiences rather than old-style shopping trips . He argued that some travellers still have spending power, but Hong Kong must lengthen their stays and offer more diverse activities to convert arrivals into higher-value consumption .
Key Points
- Legislative Council data showed last year’s visitor arrivals were about 25% below 2018, while per-capita visitor spending also declined noticeably .
- Overnight visitors’ per-capita spending fell 17%, while same-day visitors’ spending nearly halved, highlighting weaker short-haul and transit-style consumption .
- Speaking on RTHK’s Millennium programme on the 7th, Yiu said relying on the old assumption of heavy shopping by tourists is outdated .
- Yiu said July visitor arrivals reached 4.5 million, up 2.6% year on year, reflecting gains from the government’s mega-events strategy .
- He said summits, exhibitions, French May and Thailand’s Songkran-themed promotions can attract business and leisure travellers from different markets .
Why It Matters
The remarks point to a policy shift from volume-driven tourism toward longer stays, experience-led spending and higher-yield business travel . They also align with broader Greater Bay Area integration, as Yiu said upcoming national and Hong Kong five-year planning frameworks stress regional coordination and the need to “make the pie bigger” through joint tourism branding .