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Leopold Chen

Hong Kong recorded its highest monthly number of visitors since the Covid-19 pandemic in August, provisional official figures show, with authorities preparing for an influx of mainland Chinese travellers during the coming “golden week” holiday.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Tuesday that the city received 5.46 million visitors last month, up by 6 per cent from a year earlier and the highest monthly total since the pandemic.
Tourist numbers in the first eight months of 2026 also rose by 11 per cent year on year, fuelled by an influx of mainland and long-haul international arrivals.
Also on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government was preparing for the arrival of tourists during the National Day golden week from October 1 to 7, including stepping up publicity, improving crowd management and tackling “coerced shopping”.
“Not only is this a crucial period for the tourism sector, but also an occasion for Hong Kong to promote itself as a friendly tourist destination,” he said. “We hope to deliver good experiences to tourists and that they will come again.”
The Tourism Board attributed the increase in August to international conferences and mega-events held during the month, including the 16th Worldwide Chinese Life Insurance Congress & 2026 IDA Annual Conference, the Hong Kong Football Festival 2026 and the TMElive International Music Awards.
“[These events] attracted a diverse range of visitors and helped drive visitor arrivals from the Chinese mainland, Singapore, the United Kingdom and other source markets,” it said.
Provisional figures released by the board showed that nearly 4.6 million of the August arrivals came from the mainland, an 8 per cent increase from a year earlier.
Long-haul arrivals also rose by 18 per cent year on year to 289,489, while visitors from new markets increased by 10 per cent to more than 65,000.

Short-haul visitors from outside the mainland were the only segment to decline, falling by 16 per cent to about 405,000.
For the first eight months of the year, Hong Kong welcomed 36.7 million visitors, 11 per cent more than in the same period last year. More than 28.7 million came from the mainland, representing growth of 13 per cent.
The city also received about 4 million short-haul visitors during the period, down by 4 per cent year on year, while long-haul arrivals rose by 19 per cent to 2.6 million.
Visitors from new markets reached 550,000, an increase of 15 per cent.
The Tourism Board said the performance of the mainland and long-haul markets had remained stable.
“Visitor growth in short-haul markets continued to face challenges owing to factors such as flight capacity, fuel surcharges and regional competition,” it said.
It also highlighted coming flagship events, including the Sun Hung Kai Properties Hong Kong Cyclothon, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival and the New Year countdown celebrations, as further draws for tourists.
Lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung, a tourism industry veteran, said the results were “hard-earned” and the upward trend would help maintain momentum for the sector’s development.
He remained “cautiously optimistic” about the prospects for the fourth quarter, citing major festivities in Hong Kong and the increase in visitors brought by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation finance ministers’ meeting.
On the coming golden week, Yiu said it would be a good opportunity to stress-test the management measures for ecologically sensitive tourist attractions, notably the pilot scheme of the visitor reservation system for Po Pin Chau in Sai Kung.
“We hope after the pilot scheme, the authorities can sit down with stakeholders to discuss how we can make good use of our natural resources to develop tourism, while maintaining sustainable development,” he said.
Sai Kung district councillor Chris Cheung Mei-hung said the influx of tourists to the area would put the reservation system to a “real test”.
“We will have to see whether the system is really feasible or if there is any room for improvement, such as introducing a penalty or charging scheme,” he said.
Cheung also urged authorities to collect visitor data during the holiday to determine whether the reservation system or other restrictive measures should be extended to other tourist hotspots in the district, such as Sharp Island and the Ham Tin Wan campsite.


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Arrivals rise by 6 per cent year on year to 5.46 million, while city welcomes 36.7 million visitors in first eight months, up by 11 per cent


Arrivals rise by 6 per cent year on year to 5.46 million, while city welcomes 36.7 million visitors in first eight months, up by 11 per cent.


Hong Kong Tourism Board

Hong Kong visitor arrivals hit post-pandemic monthly high in August

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Arrivals rise by 6 per cent year on year to 5.46 million, while city welcomes 36.7 million visitors in first eight months, up by 11 per cent

Arrivals rise by 6 per cent year on year to 5.46 million, while city welcomes 36.7 million visitors in first eight months, up by 11 per cent