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Wynna Wong

Harvey Kong

Visitor numbers in Hong Kong rose about 14 per cent during the Chinese New Year holiday but more residents left the city, while local retailers reported bumper sales of gold products.
Some retailers reported single purchases worth millions of Hong Kong dollars within categories such as watches and jewellery, even as the broader retail recovery remained uneven.
Immigration Department figures showed trips made by visitors – from mainland China and elsewhere – rose about 14 per cent year on year to 1.77 million from February 15 to 23, driven by 14 per cent growth in travellers from across the border.
However, Hong Kong residents made 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year, resulting in a net outflow of people despite inbound tourism rebounding.
About 10.82 million passenger trips were made through Hong Kong’s sea, land and air border control points between February 13 and 23.
The figure was slightly below the government’s earlier projection of 11.38 million, suggesting cross-boundary flows were broadly in line with official expectations but marginally softer.




On February 14, Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways carried more than 100,000 passengers in a single day for the first time in its history, reaching 100,747, the company said.
On the same day, the airline and its budget unit, HK Express, carried a combined total of about 128,000 passengers.
HK Express said it had recorded a 15 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic to 280,000 between February 13 and 22.
The carrier said that passenger numbers from the mainland had increased by more than 50 per cent compared with the same period last year. Numbers from the city had risen by more than 30 per cent.
“Travel demand during the Lunar New Year holiday was exceptionally strong, coinciding with the longest Spring Festival holiday in the Chinese mainland,” CEO Jeanette Mao said.
“Outbound travel demand from Hong Kong remained robust, while a growing number of travellers from the Greater Bay Area chose to depart via Hong Kong, resulting in a significant increase in overall passenger traffic.”
The budget carrier noted that during the holiday period, destinations such as Penang, Jeju and Phu Quoc recorded strong growth.
Industry representatives said the increase in visitor numbers to Hong Kong helped support certain segments of the retail and hospitality sectors, although their performance varied widely depending on location and customer mix.
Dennis Lau Hak-bun, a chief supervisor of the Kowloon Pearls, Precious Stones, Jade, Gold and Silver Ornament Merchants Association, said the sector had recorded a 30 per cent jump in gold sales between the first and seventh day of the Year of the Horse compared with the corresponding period in 2025.
The price of gold has hit record highs in recent months and remained above US$5,100 an ounce since January.
Lau said there was a higher proportion of shoppers from the mainland, at 70 per cent, during the holiday compared with 50 per cent in the previous corresponding period. The rest were local shoppers, he added.
Lau said the increase was because gold prices were lower in Hong Kong than across the border, and the atmosphere for tourists had been upbeat in the past few months.
“We can see a lot of mainland consumers taking the opportunity to come to Hong Kong to travel, and come to see the float parade and fireworks,” he said.
“These kinds of events have attracted more mainland consumers to Hong Kong. This is also combined with the fact that tourists usually shop while they come to Hong Kong.”
High-end retail appeared to be among the stronger-performing categories.
Some luxury operators reported triple-digit year-on-year growth in sales of watches and jewellery during the holiday, reflecting a consumption concentration among big-spending buyers.
At the K11 Musea shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, footfall rose by 10 per cent year on year over the “golden week” period, while tourist sales increased by 60 per cent.
Watches and jewellery were among the stand-out categories, and the largest single transaction exceeded HK$2 million.
The sharp gains in the luxury segments contrast with more subdued performance elsewhere, reinforcing what industry players have recently described as increasingly polarised consumption patterns.
While some visitors demonstrated strong purchasing power and a willingness to make substantial discretionary purchases, others gravitated towards lower-cost activities such as sightseeing, watching fireworks and dining in neighbourhood restaurants.
Retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai previously said market conditions had improved compared with last year, though he noted that the recovery remained uneven across sectors.
Analysts said the divergence suggested that although tourism numbers were recovering, spending distribution remained concentrated in select categories and districts rather than being broadly based across the retail landscape.


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But Hong Kong residents make 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year


But Hong Kong residents make 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year.


Hong Kong visitor numbers jump for Chinese New Year holiday as gold sales shine

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}But Hong Kong residents make 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year

But Hong Kong residents make 3.95 million outbound trips between February 13 and 23, nearly 10 per cent more than last year