Hong Kong, SAR of China
Hong Kong
Travellers from Hong Kong made 6.0 million outbound visits in 2023 (excluding elsewhere in China and Macau), with a total international tourism expenditure of US$22.7 billion.
In 2023, the UK welcomed 256,000 visits from Hong Kong. During the travellers’ visits, their total expenditure was £381.7 million, with an average spend of £1,491 per visit.
Discover visitor behaviour, travel trade insights, detailed data visualisations for this market – and more. The statistics in this market report are collated from a range of sources such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as well as sponsored questions and our own research. For further details, see How we source this information.
Visitor characteristics
- In 2023, 20% of visits from Hong Kong were made by British passport holders, and 63% by Hong Kong nationals; these proportions are now similar to pre-pandemic levels again.
- Just over half of holiday visitors (excluding British expats) were making a repeat trip to Britain in 2015 (within 10 years, 53%).
- Departing visitors from Hong Kong (excluding British expats) are less likely to recommend Britain than the international average, but still 76% of them are ‘extremely’ likely to.
Popular activities for this market
Dining in a restaurant.
Visiting a pub.
Going shopping.
Explore the inbound data in full
Use our visualisations to see data from this market in greater depth and clarity. Compare annual statistics, and filter by age group, gender, trip duration and more. Includes seasonality, trip purpose and regional spread of visitors to UK destinations. This data is based on the International Passenger Survey, conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Please click on the button below and select the country you are interested in.
Perceptions of Britain in the Hong Kong market
- When asked how much they think they know some destinations, travellers from Hong Kong are more likely to say that they feel they know ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ about Britain than about France, Italy, the USA or Australia.
- Hong Kong respondents tend to rate Britain highest for its rich, interesting history and heritage, followed by the fact that it has much to explore beyond its capital city.
- Britain’s rich sporting offer and its combination of old and new are also well scored by Hong Kong travellers.
- Britain is seen as more ‘cosmopolitan’ than leading competitor destinations, but is outperformed in terms of associations with attributes such as ‘colourful’, ‘vibrant’ and ‘fun’.
- Competitor destinations are more highly associated with offering ‘value’ than Britain, but it is ranked second among destinations they would like to visit if cost was no issue.
Global context
Top-level statistics relating to the population, GDP, tourism expenditure and popular destinations for this market. For greater detail on inbound tourism flows from this market to the UK, see our data visualisations.
| Measure | 2023 |
| International tourism expenditure (US$bn) | 22.7 |
| Global rank for international tourism expenditure | 17 |
| Number of outbound overnight visits (m) | 23.1 |
| Number of outbound visits excl. China and Macao (m) | 6.0 |
| Most visited destination | China |
| Most visited destination (excl. China and Macao) | Japan |
| Most visited destination in Western Europe | United Kingdom |
Key demographic and economic data
| Measure | 2023 |
| Population (m) | 7 |
| GDP per capita PPP (US$) | 72,225 |
| Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%) | 1.1 |
| Annual GDP growth (%) | 3.3 |
Caring for visitors
- The family is the most important part of life in Hong Kong; this cultural value of togetherness impacts travel behaviour.
- Visitors from Hong Kong are more likely than average to use a credit card while in Britain.
- Some travellers may prefer modern accommodation options to traditional ones, or quintessentially British ones.
- Hong Kong citizens love food and are adventurous in tasting local cuisine and produce.
The leisure and travel trade
- There are over 1,400 tour operators and travel agencies in Hong Kong, but around 20 dominate the market.
- Details of updated products and packages should be sent to the Hong Kong trade by December.
- Using English as the language for meetings and correspondence is normally not a problem.
Access to Britain from Hong Kong
The key routes and transport modes that connect this market with the UK.
| Measure | 2023 |
| Weekly aircraft departures | 45 |
| Weekly seat capacity | 13,508 |
| Airports with direct routes in Hong Kong | 1 |
| Airports with direct routes in Britain | 2 |
- There were an average of 45 weekly departures available on non-stop routes from Hong Kong to the UK, servicing routes to Manchester and London Heathrow.
- In 2023, direct seat capacity to the UK is showing signs of recovery at 62% of pre-pandemic capacity.
- The current reduced rate of Air Passenger Duty for visitors departing Britain for Hong Kong is £92.
Further resources
Hong Kong Market Snapshot.pdf
Hong Kong Market Snapshot
Hong Kong Market Profile
Hong Kong Market Profile
Hong Kong Aviation Profile
Hong Kong Aviation Profile
How we source this information
We work with a number of data sources to provide a rich and insightful picture of our key inbound source markets. This includes, but is not limited to, data provided by Oxford Economics, the UNWTO, Apex, Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index and from our own surveys and ad-hoc research. The largest share of these data comes from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) by the ONS.
Visit our About the International Passenger Survey page for more information on how this data is collected and analysed.
