Bars, hotels cash in as Hong Kong welcomes 25% more visitors for New Year’s Eve
Influx recorded despite city forgoing fireworks display in light of deadly Tai Po fire, while departures by locals rose by nearly 21 per cent
The number of inbound visitors to Hong Kong on New Year’s Eve rose by 25 per cent from 2024, despite the city forgoing its traditional fireworks display because of the deadly Tai Po fire, with bars and hotels appearing to benefit the most from the increase in footfall over the holiday.
But with the number of departures by Hongkongers also increasing by nearly 21 per cent over the same period, not all businesses stood to gain equally.
Immigration Department figures compiled by the Post on Thursday showed Hong Kong welcomed 195,798 visitors from mainland China and overseas on December 31, a substantial rise from the 156,366 recorded on the same day in 2024.
Of the total, 148,435 were from the mainland, representing a 24 per cent year-on-year increase. The number of visitors from elsewhere stood at 47,363, a rise of about 29 per cent.
The number of mainland visitors had been expected to rise due to the New Year holiday across the border running from Thursday to Saturday.
The department also recorded 363,730 outbound trips by Hongkongers on New Year’s Eve, a nearly 21 per cent increase compared with 301,109 in 2024.