Hong Kong Sep 2024: 3.06M Visitors, Non-Mainland at 766K Led by Taiwan

3.06M visitors in Sep 2024. Non-mainland: 766K led by Taiwan, Macao SAR, Philippines. Mainland at 75.0%, within normal range.

· HotelInsight Research · Market Intelligence

Tags: Hong Kong, Visitor Arrivals, HKTB, Sep 2024, Non-Mainland

  • Hong Kong recorded 3.06M visitor arrivals in September 2024, +10.5% year-on-year.
  • Non-mainland visitors totalled 766K (25.0% of total), led by Taiwan (99K), Macao SAR (82K), and Philippines (80K).
  • The Mainland base (75.0%, 2.30M) remained within the structural 72–77% range, delivering stable floor volume.
  • South Korea (65K) and USA also contributed meaningful non-mainland volume this month.
  • Revenue managers should prioritise the Taiwan and Macao SAR FIT segments — these markets deliver higher RevPAR per stay than the high-frequency but rate-compressed Mainland day-trip segment.

Hong Kong recorded 3.06M visitor arrivals in September 2024 (+10.5% YoY), according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board. With the Mainland Chinese base providing stable floor volume at 75.0%, the strategic focus for revenue managers lies in the 766K non-mainland visitors (25.0% of total), -72.3% year-on-year — the segment where pricing power, RevPAR differentiation, and long-stay value are concentrated.

Non-Mainland Visitor Breakdown

Non-Mainland Visitor Markets — Hong Kong, Sep 2024 — Visitor arrivals excluding Chinese Mainland | Source: HKTB

Non-mainland traffic of 766K was led by Taiwan (99K), Macao SAR (82K), and Philippines (80K). South Korea (65K) and further markets round out the top six.

  1. Taiwan: 99K visitors (+36.7% YoY)
  2. Macao SAR: 82K visitors (+4.3% YoY)
  3. Philippines: 80K visitors (+39.3% YoY)
  4. South Korea: 65K visitors (+53.7% YoY)
  5. USA: 54K visitors (+7.7% YoY)
  6. Japan: 54K visitors (+30.8% YoY)
  7. Singapore: 37K visitors (+14.9% YoY)
  8. Australia: 36K visitors (+33.7% YoY)

The Mainland base (2.30M, 75.0%) remained within the structural 72–77% range — it provides stable, predictable floor demand but is less rate-elastic than the non-mainland visitor groups analysed above.

Monthly Visitor Trend

Monthly Visitor Arrivals — Hong Kong — Sep 24 – Sep 24 | Source: HKTB

Revenue Strategy

  • Taiwan FIT: Consistently among Hong Kong's top non-mainland markets — these visitors are culturally similar to Mainland guests but show meaningfully higher ADR sensitivity to hotel quality and F&B offerings. Book 2–4 weeks ahead; direct channel conversion is achievable with targeted promotions via KKday and social media.
  • South Korea: High-frequency leisure visitors, strong during shoulder months — leverage K-culture crossover appeal (shopping, beauty, entertainment) with experience packages that command a premium over the base room rate.
  • Southeast Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia): Growing segment, typically 3–5 night stays. Philippine and Thai visitors over-index on shopping and hospitality experiences — in-hotel shopping concierge and dining packages improve ancillary revenue capture.
  • Mainland positioning: Rather than competing on rate for the high-volume Mainland segment (which has the narrowest RevPAR per stay), focus on upsell — Mainland visitors respond strongly to premium amenity packages, celebrity dining experiences, and harbour-view room upgrades.

Data sourced from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB). Visitor arrivals include all same-day and overnight visitors.

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