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| Ngong Ping is one of Hong Kong's top draws for Filipinos |
Filipino tourists continue to flock to Hong Kong, helping boost the city's visitor arrivals to 24 million in the first half of the year, for a 12% increase compared to the same period last year.
While Mainland visitors make up 70% of the tourist arrivals in this period, totaling 17.8 million overall for a 10% increase; four Asian territories including the Philippines also made their presence felt.
Non-mainland visitors accounted for 5.84 million
arrivals, a 17% increase compared to the same period last year. Notably,
Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines recorded an impressive growth of
25% or more.
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
Figures from the Hong Kong Tourism Board show that in
the first five months of the year alone, a record 556,078 Filipinos visited
Hong, for a 26.9% increase year-on-year.
Last year, HKTB said a record-breaking 1.19 million Filipino visitors came to Hong Kong, making them the third-largest group of visitors, following those from mainland China and Taiwan.
Full data from June are not yet available, but given
the trend this year, it is likely the figure for Filipino tourists in the first half of the year
should be around 580,000.
The Philippines only ranked sixth in 2018, a record year for Hong Kong tourism.
Despite the dropping value of the Philippine peso vis-a-vis the US dollar, the country’s strong economic growth and its proximity to Hong Kong are seen as the drivers for the continuing influx of Filipinos.
Long-haul travellers are also
increasing in numbers, accounting for an 18% increase year-on-year, with visitors from Australia up by 33% in the same period.
HKTB
says the steady rise in the number of tourist arrivals is due to its targeted promotional
events and enhanced connectivity.
The
reopening of key border checkpoints including the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Port
have also helped boost local tourism.
