Influx of Mainland Visitors Peaks During Qingming Festival 2024
During the Qingming Festival holiday (April 4-6, 2024), Hong Kong’s Immigration Department recorded a total of 362,000 entries from mainland visitors. This represents a significant 112% increase from the same period in 2023, although it still has not returned to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, which accounted for 59.7% of entries.
“Is Hong Kong’s Shopping Appeal Declining? A Look at Changing Tourist Interests
A comparative analysis of data spanning 2019, 2023, and 2024 indicates a pivot in dialogues across OTA media platforms, including travel forums and Xiaohongshu. Whereas attraction-related discussions continue to predominate, capturing 44% this year, dialogues centered on shopping dwindled from 21% in 2023 to 15% in 2024. Concurrently, there’s a modest uptick in conversations surrounding cultural, entertainment, and sporting events, hinting that shopping may no longer be the principal lure for Hong Kong’s visitors.
Transportation x Citywalk: Promoting the “Hong Kong Style” Theme
Back in 2019, discourse on transportation modalities was more rampant at 17%, encompassing transport to and within Hong Kong and unique modes like the tram. These discussions have seen a yearly decrement, with transportation topics making up just 13% and 12% in 2023 and 2024 respectively. This trend suggests that mainland visitors are becoming increasingly adept at navigating Hong Kong’s transportation landscape, thus easing their city traversal.
Predictive analytics from Hong Kong’s Tourism Index, via SHAP values, exhibit a pronounced correlation between “transportation” method discussions and a surge in visitor numbers, emphasizing “transportation” pivotal role in travel.
Further analysis reveals that aside from the MTR, other transportation methods like buses and minibuses are less discussed among mainland netizens, making up only 10% and 1% of conversations. This suggests a strong preference for the MTR and limited awareness of other options.
Emerging Attractions: Hong Kong Street Views
Amid the trend towards minimal expenditure, mainland tourists are venturing into new attractions There’s burgeoning interest in Hong Kong street views , including film and TV locations, streets, and quintessential Hong Kong transports like ferries and buses. Tourists are particularly drawn to the amalgamation of street vistas with transportation elements, such as “Sunset Rollercoaster,” double-decker buses, overpasses, and neon lighting. Cultural and art-related endeavors, like the “A Path to Glory – Jin Yong’s Centennial Memorial, Sculpted by Ren Zhe,” are also drawing considerable attention.
To leverage these insights, transport operators might consider aligning with the “Citywalk” trend by initiating nostalgic double-decker bus tours to both manage crowds and enhance local attractions. In devising tourism promotional campaigns, there should be a concerted focus on “Hong Style,” coupled with an introduction of more cultural and artistic activities, such as tours themed around Wong Kar-wai’s cinematic scenes, to furnish tourists with an immersive cultural journey, thereby accentuating Hong Kong’s unique attributes and bustling.
Conclusion: Promoting “Hong Kong Style” Cultural Events for Golden Week to Improve Tourism and Culture
Data from the Hong Kong Tourism Index indicates a decline in shopping’s appeal while transportation, particularly the MTR, remains vital for visitors. Sightseeing discussions continue to top OTA media. Transportation operators could introduce nostalgic double-decker bus tours aligned with the “Citywalk” trend to better manage crowds and enrich local attractions.
Notably, “Hong Kong Style” and cultural arts content are gaining traction. Long-term, tourism campaigns should focus on these elements, incorporating cultural activities like Wong Kar-wai film scene tours to offer immersive cultural experiences and boost Hong Kong’s cultural industries.
Additional Information
Data Coverage: This includes opinions from mainland netizens about Hong Kong tourism, gathered from Sina Weibo, travel forums, online travel agencies like Tieba, Mafengwo, Zhihu, Ctrip, and other major social media platforms like Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, Douyin.
What is “Wisers-HKUST Tourism Index”?
Wisers Information Limited and the HKUST have launched the “Wisers-HKUST Tourism Index to support ongoing growth in Hong Kong’s tourism sector. This index uses big data to predict trends and helps industry stakeholders make informed plans by addressing the challenge of outdated data.。
The index features a predictive model that forecasts mainland tourists’ intentions to visit Hong Kong and significant trends in tourism data. It uses advanced AI technologies, such as natural language processing and machine learning, to analyze over 10 million data points from mainland social media, online travel agencies, and forums. The Tourism Index includes historical data and more than 20 factors that influence the tourism market, such as travel desires and sentiments from social media posts. It provides forecasts for the overall tourism industry, including visitor numbers, hotel occupancy, and room rates for the current and next two months. The index is updated monthly on the 10th.
Website: Tourism Index (hkust.edu.hk)
