Hong Kong Photo: VCG

Tourist arrivals to Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in 2025 rose 12 percent year-on-year to reach 49.9 million, and the Chinese mainland account for 76 percent of total tourists, local media outlet Sing Tao Daily reported on Monday, citing the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

An analyst said the central government's support has greatly stabilized Hong Kong's economy, which provides an important basis for the growth of inbound tourists to Hong Kong, while noting that the number of tourists to the city is expected to further rise along with the improvement of business environment.

A total of 37.8 million mainland visitors visited the HKSAR last year, an increase of approximately 11 percent on a yearly basis, while visitors outside the Chinese mainland grew by 14 percent to reach 12.1 million, according to the report.

Amid the increased integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the transport has become much more convenient while more events are held in the area, which boosted local tourism, Song Ding, a research fellow at the China Development Institute, told the Global Times on Monday.

He said the 15th National Games, jointly hosted by South China's Guangdong Province, the HKSAR and the Macao Special Administrative Region, created an opportunity to combine sports events and sightseeing in the HKSAR.

The Zhuhai road port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has handled more than 100 million inbound and outbound passenger trips since the mega project opened to traffic in October 2018, official data showed on January 6.

Along with the implementation of the policy allowing mainland residents driving to Hong Kong, there are now more than 800 private cars from Guangdong Province have completed the border inspection registration under the policy.

Despite uncertainties in the external environment in 2025, Hong Kong's asset market has continued to improve, capital inflows have remained strong, visitor numbers have increased, overall exports and fixed capital investment have performed well, and local consumption has stabilized. It is estimated that Hong Kong's economic growth will accelerate to 3.2 percent in 2025, slightly higher than the initial forecast, Paul Chan, financial secretary of the HKSAR government, said recently.

The central government's support for the HKSAR as financial, trade, and shipping hub is clear and steadfast, with multiple measures announced in 2025, including the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation in the city, Song said, noting that the support promotes Hong Kong's economic stability and attracts continuous inflow of tourists.

"Along with the improvement of business environment in Hong Kong to accommodate to mainland tourists, the number of mainland tourists to the city is expected to continue to rise in the upcoming years," Song said.

The better-than-expected performance of the tourism sector also drives the recovery of the retail sector, with sales such as home appliances and cosmetics reporting notable growth, Ken Wong, chairman of Hong Kong (SME) Economic and Trade Promotional Association, told the Global Times on Monday, expressing optimism for the city's tourism sector in 2026.

He said that the HKSAR can improve accessibility facilities and multilingual services to promote cooperation with the Greater Bay Area, while promoting in-depth tourism by combing culture and sports so as to attract more tourists.