As the Christmas and New Year holidays approach, Hong Kong is witnessing a significant increase in border crossings. Timothy Chui, Executive Director of The Hong Kong Tourism Association said today (Dec. 27) that HK residents have made over a million outbound trips cumulatively since last Friday (Dec. 20). Popular destinations include cities within the Greater Bay Area, as well as farther regions in the mainland, such as Yunnan.
Chui estimates that from now until New Year's Eve, there will be an average of 400 to 500 local tour groups heading to the mainland daily, while tours to Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand are also averaging over 100 groups per day.
Chui noted that outbound travel this Christmas has seen only modest growth, suggesting that the post-pandemic "revenge travel" trend has begun to subside. He also speculated that many residents may be planning trips during the upcoming Lunar New Year instead.
On the other hand, inbound tourism during the Christmas season has been primarily driven by visitors from Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines and Thailand, with tourists from the mainland accounting for only a small portion of arrivals.
Looking ahead to Jan. 1, 2025, the HKSAR government will reinstate the 3% hotel accommodation tax. Chui highlighted that many travelers now book hotels through online platforms, and there is uncertainty about whether these platforms will handle tax collection. The hospitality industry is currently in discussions with the government to explore the possibility of hotels collecting the tax directly.
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