Hong Kong witnessed 2.08 lakh visitors from India in the first 12 months since its re-opening for international travel and hopes to double this number in 2024 and surpass pre-COVID-19 levels, according to its tourism promotion body.
“We are a visa-free destination, which is a massive appeal,” said Puneet Kumar, Director, of South Asia and Middle East, at Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) about the measures being taken to woo Indian travellers. He was speaking on the sidelines of South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange 2024.
The arrivals from India last year were a mere 53% of the number seen in 2018, which was at 3.86 lakh. Hong Kong’s total international arrivals in 2023 were at 34 million, which stood at 65.2 million in 2018. HKTB draws a comparison with 2018 instead of 2019 as the latter was affected by widespread pro-democracy protests. Hong Kong dropped COVID-19 testing protocols for inbound passengers on December 28, 2022.
“The good news is that Indian carriers not only want to connect India with Hong Kong but also improve the frequency of their flights,” he said. There are 45 weekly flights between Hong Kong and India offered by the former’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific, as well as Air India, Vistara and IndiGo.
Indian passport holders can avail of “pre-arrival registration” to travel to Hong Kong visa-free for a duration of no more than 14 days. The registration is valid for six months. While there have been complaints about applications from India being turned down, Mr. Kumar said the application approval rate was 90%. He added that those with unsuccessful registrations would be required to apply for a visa.
“Our strategic direction to woo more travellers is to uphold Hong Kong’s international image, which we will do by relaunching our branding,” said Mr Kumar.
The HKTB also plans to bring mega events and festivals to attract repeat customers, as well as offer “fly-cruise”, which is basically travellers flying into Hong Kong, travelling locally and then enjoying a cruise. The other area the tourism body will focus on is the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) tourism. It also plans to expand its offerings above and beyond Hong Kong by providing connectivity to the larger Greater Bay area, which includes eight other provinces in South China. For instance, travel to Macau from Hong Kong can be completed in 40 minutes through the Zhuhai bridge; and Schenzen can be reached from Hong Kong in 18 minutes with the help of the high-speed railway system.
“This is important for Indian travellers who want to see multiple destinations in one visit,” said Mr Kumar.
