LCQ12: Strategies and measures for developing visitor sources
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Question:
There are views suggesting that the successive completion and commissioning of the Three-runway System and Terminal 2 at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), coupled with the steady implementation of the Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles (STGV) policy, has brought major development opportunities to Hong Kong's tourism industry. The Government must seize the aforesaid opportunities to enhance the layout of the air route network, develop a diversified portfolio of visitor source markets and strive to attract more transfer and transit passengers to stay in Hong Kong. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the total number of passengers handled by HKIA in 2018 and in each year from 2023 up to the second quarter of 2026; and among them, of the respective numbers of local passengers, Mainland passengers, passengers from other places, and passengers transferring and transiting through Hong Kong, with a tabulated breakdown of the above figures;
(2) as the Chief Executive proposed in the 2024 Policy Address to support HKIA to explore new destinations and flights, particularly to enhance co-operation with civil aviation counterparts from Belt and Road countries, of the new direct-flight destinations introduced by Hong Kong and the respective numbers of weekly flights to and from such destinations during the period from 2025 to June 2026;
(3) as the Chief Executive proposed in the 2025 Policy Address that the Government would forge more new air services agreements and expand traffic rights with South America, Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, etc, as the priority target regions, whether the authorities have any plans to join hands with airlines, hotels, the tourism industry, etc in formulating external publicity strategies targeting the aforesaid new visitor source markets and launching products that appeal to visitors from those markets; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) as the Government has increased the Air Passenger Departure Tax (APDT) from $120 to $200 per passenger with effect from October 1, 2025 and extended the scope of passengers exempted from APDT payment, of the APDT revenue and the number of passengers exempted from APDT payment since that date, with the figures set out by month;
(5) given the progressive increase in the volume of passengers transferring and transiting at HKIA and their proportion in the overall passenger throughput of HKIA, apart from the Airport Authority Hong Kong, whether the Government has launched any specific publicity plans, or what such plans it will launch in the future, to proactively promote the latest scope of APDT exemption to other places and roll out tourism products dedicated to passengers transferring and transiting at HKIA; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(6) as the expansion arrangements of STGV announced by the Guangdong and Hong Kong Governments on June 8, 2026 are expected to attract more high-spending consumer groups from cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to use HKIA in Hong Kong, whether the Government has any plans to formulate dedicated publicity strategies for users of STGV, "Park & Fly" and "Park & Visit", and to join hands with the tourism, retail and catering sectors in launching targeted tourism products with local characteristics; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has always been committed to promoting the development of the aviation and tourism industries, and has implemented various measures to attract and facilitate passengers from around the world and the Chinese Mainland to visit Hong Kong via Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), thereby promoting local economic development. In consultation with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), our reply to the question is as follows:
(1) According to the statistics provided by the AAHK, the distribution of passenger at HKIA in 2018 and from 2023 to the second quarter of 2026, is tabulated below:
| Year | Passenger volume (million passenger trips) | ||||
| Arrival/departure passengers | Transfer and transit passengers | Total passenger volume | |||
| Local passengers | Mainland passengers | Other passengers | |||
| 2018 | 23.7 | 12.1 | 18.3 | 20.5 | 74.7 |
| 2023 | 17.7 | 5.3 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 39.5 |
| 2024 | 21.5 | 7.3 | 12.8 | 11.4 | 53.0 |
| 2025 | 21.9 | 8.0 | 14.8 | 16.3 | 61.0 |
| 2026 (Jan-May) (Note) | 8.6 | 3.7 | 6.5 | 8.8 | 27.7 |
Note: The figures are provisional and subject to confirmation by airlines.
(2) and (3) The Government has all along been working closely with the AAHK to strategically attract airlines to add new destinations and increase flight frequencies through outreach teams, incentive schemes and policy facilitation measures. For example, the AAHK launched the Air Network Development Programme in June 2024, which provides financial incentives to encourage airlines to launch new routes and increase flight frequencies on existing routes. As at end of May 2026, the Programme has attracted 40 airlines to launch 89 new routes covering Asia, Europe, North America and Africa, as well as to increase flight frequencies on 14 existing routes.
HKIA currently serves a total of 223 destinations. From 2025 to date, HKIA has added a total of 43 new destinations (including those in Chinese Mainland, Pakistan, Japan, Indonesia, India, Laos, Greece, Latvia, Korea, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Norway, Malaysia, Czechia, Serbia, Italy, Germany, Australia, and Romania). These destinations are served by a total of 96 weekly scheduled passenger and cargo flights, as well as non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights or charter services.
To attract non-local airlines (in particular those from regions such as South America, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East) to resume and/or launch new routes, the AAHK has engaged with various airlines to explore the possibility of resuming and/or launching new routes. Among these efforts, Etihad Airways resumed its Hong Kong-Abu Dhabi service in November 2025. Additionally, Delta Air Lines recently resumed its direct flight services to Los Angeles after an eight-year hiatus. Furthermore, the AAHK earlier signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fly Khiva Group of Uzbekistan, under which both sides agreed to strengthen exchanges and co-operation in areas such as developing a comprehensive passenger and cargo air transport network, enhancing operational and service standards, sustainable development and talent training.
(4) The Air Passenger Departure Tax (APDT) has been increased from $120 per passenger to $200 with effect from October 1, 2025. The new tax rate is applicable to air tickets purchased on or after that date, and the scope of exemption has been extended to passengers who arrive and depart Hong Kong by air on the same or following calendar day; and passengers who arrive Hong Kong by other means through immigration control and depart from Hong Kong by air on the same or following calendar day.
Following the implementation of the abovementioned new measures, the monthly figures for APDT revenue and the number of passengers exempted from APDT (as at April 30, 2026) are as follows:
| Month | APDT Revenue (Note 1) ($hundred million) |
Number of passengers exempted from APDT (Note 2) ('000) |
| October 2025 | 2.17 | 920 |
| November 2025 | 2.26 | 860 |
| December 2025 | 2.94 | 980 |
| January 2026 | 2.99 | 1 030 |
| February 2026 | 3.04 | 1 090 |
| March 2026 | 3.14 | 1 130 |
| April 2026 | 3.66 | 1 120 |
| Total | 20.20 | 7 130 |
Note 2: The figures include eligible airline passengers who have been automatically exempted by the operators' ticketing system, as well as passengers who had submitted applications through the APDT refund platform and were granted the exemptions. Passengers who were eligible for exemption but did not apply for a refund have not been included.
(5) As a regional tourism and aviation hub, Hong Kong sees many visitors transiting through the city each year. With the enhanced visa arrangements for inbound visitors launched by the Chinese Mainland, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will fully leverage Hong Kong's role as a "super connector" linking the Chinese Mainland and overseas markets to strategically explore more business opportunities.
The HKTB has consolidated information on various tourism products for inbound, outbound, and transit visitors on its one-stop travel information platform Discover Hong Kong, which provides itinerary planning and travel route guides for brief stopovers in Hong Kong. These guides cover dining, retail, attractions, culture and citywalks, etc, encouraging visitors to seize the opportunity to explore Hong Kong before departure and enhancing the travel experience of transit passengers during their stay. Meanwhile, the HKTB collaborates with the trade to launch promotional travel packages tailored for high-potential markets, featuring special offers on airlines, hotels, dining, attractions and transport, so as to further strengthen Hong Kong's competitiveness as a transit hub.
(6) The Governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong have expanded Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles (Southbound Travel Scheme) since mid-2026 from the initial four applicable cities to all nine Chinese Mainland cities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA); increased the daily travel booking quota of entry into urban area from 100 vehicles to 200 vehicles; and introduced the "Park & Visit" service to allow Guangdong travellers to park their vehicles and enter Hong Kong via the passenger clearance building at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
In tandem with the expansion of the Southbound Travel Scheme, the Government has been encouraging the hotel, tourism and retail sectors to offer promotional packages covering shopping, parking and accommodation for self-drive travellers entering urban area, which in turn attract travellers under the Southbound Travel Scheme, especially travellers staying overnight and family travellers, to stay for spending and sightseeing in various districts in Hong Kong. In addition, the AAHK has stepped up its publicity efforts targeting travellers from the GBA. As regards the "Park & Fly" service, since its launch, the AAHK has collaborated with Chinese Mainland travel platforms, car owners' associations and airlines to promote the service and related user guides through social media, key opinion leaders, and interviews by Chinese Mainland media. As regards the forthcoming "Park & Visit" service, the AAHK will continue to adopt the aforementioned promotional approach, and will explore joint promotional initiatives with its business partners in Lantau, with a view to attracting GBA travellers to drive into Hong Kong, visit different attractions and communities after arrival, and thereby promote the development of local tourism, retail and catering sectors.
Ends/Wednesday, July 8, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:25
Issued at HKT 12:25
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