Record-Breaking Arrival: Hong Kong Welcomes Millionth Filipino Visitor of the Year as Southeast Asia Region Becomes Fastest-Recovering Visitor Source Market

Hong Kong welcomed its millionth visitor of the year from the Philippines on 29 November (last Friday), setting a new milestone and breaking the previous record of 930,000 visitors from the country by the same time in 2018.

The number of visitors from Southeast Asia has shown robust growth since the city fully reopened to international travellers, and the region leads the way as the fastest-recovering market for inbound tourism. With over 2.3 million visitors between January and October 2024, visitors numbers from Southeast Asia have rebounded to around 95% of pre-pandemic levels. Filipino visitors alone accounted for 920,000 arrivals in the first 10 months of the year, reflecting a recovery rate of 127% compared to pre-pandemic level.

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Executive Director Mr Dane Cheng said, “The increase in international visitor arrivals of the first 10 months 2024 has been encouraging, especially from Southeast Asia. We are thrilled that Hong Kong has become the top travel destination for Filipino travellers. We know visitors from Southeast Asia love to come to Hong Kong to celebrate festive holidays, so we are stepping up our promotion of the Hong Kong WinterFest to entice more travellers to experience our city’s vibrant festive atmosphere.”

Filipino visitor Miguel Linao became the millionth visitor from the Philippines in 2024 when he arrived in Hong Kong with his wife Ana and their three children. He said, “This isn't our first visit to Hong Kong, but I didn’t expect to be the millionth Filipino visitor this year. The main purpose of our visit is to accompany our daughter to a gymnastics competition in Hong Kong, and to do some sightseeing around the city. Since it takes only two and a half hours to travel from the Philippines to Hong Kong, we've often visited in the past. What we love most about Hong Kong are its delicious food and theme parks. We all look forward to this trip!”

Visitors from Southeast Asia are young and stay an average of 3.4 nights while spending around HK$7,100 per person, HKTB analysis shows. Their top three attractions are theme parks, markets such as Temple Street and Ladies’ Market, and the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade including the Avenue of Stars, the Clock Tower, and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

Visitor Arrivals in January – October 2024