Hong Kong received about 4.03 million visitors in September, a rise of 22 per cent on the same month last year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said on Thursday 15 October. The board attributed the increase to the Mid-Autumn Festival holidays and the events that went with them, according to reports by China Daily and The Standard.
Mainland Visitors Drive the Increase
Arrivals from the Chinese mainland rose 29 per cent year on year to more than 3.17 million, China Daily reported, citing HKTB data. The Standard puts the mainland share of all September visitors at over 78 per cent. The HKTB pointed to festive attractions such as the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, the Mid-Autumn lantern carnivals and the inaugural International Lantern Spectacular. It also said the mainland figure was helped by a comparatively low base, because severe weather struck the city in the same period last year.
Among visitors from outside the mainland, long-haul markets continued to grow. Arrivals from those markets rose 20 per cent year on year to more than 286,000 last month, China Daily reported. Short-haul markets benefited from the festive events but remained under pressure, the HKTB said in a statement, citing flight capacity constraints and fuel surcharges. The Standard reports that arrivals from short-haul markets fell 9 per cent year on year.
Nine-Month Total and What Comes Next
For the first nine months of 2026, cumulative visitor arrivals reached around 40.7 million, up 12 per cent from a year earlier, China Daily reported. The board said Hong Kong has more large-scale events lined up for the final quarter, including Halloween activities, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, Hong Kong WinterFest and the New Year countdown celebrations. According to The Standard, an HKTB spokesperson said the board will keep promoting the city through event tourism, meetings and conventions (MICE) and what it calls “Only in Hong Kong” travel experiences, to attract high-value visitors in partnership with the industry.
Why It Matters
The September figures show how heavily Hong Kong’s visitor numbers lean on mainland travellers: on the numbers reported, roughly four in five visitors came from across the boundary. The board’s own comments point to two caveats, a low comparison base after severe weather a year earlier, and weaker short-haul demand tied to airline capacity and fuel costs. The coming months of events will show whether the city can attract more high-value visitors, as the board says it aims to.
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