More Hongkongers are expected to travel to Japan amid a weak yen, tourism industry representatives have said after the country welcomed a record number of foreign tourists last year.
Retail sector representatives also said on Thursday that the strong momentum of outbound travel by Hongkongers had hurt local consumption, but the impact would be mitigated by the anticipated rise in mainland Chinese tourists following the resumption of multiple-entry visas for Shenzhen residents.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of travel agency EGL Tours, attributed the increased number of Hongkongers travelling to Japan to the weak yen, which made shopping and dining more cost-effective.
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He also pointed to the growing capacity of airlines flying between Hong Kong and the country.
“I believe Japan will remain a top tourist destination among Hongkongers this year,” he said, adding that many customers had already signed up for his company’s cherry blossom-themed tours to Japan in March and April.
Statistics released by the Japan National Tourism Organisation on Wednesday showed that about 36.9 million foreign visitors travelled to the country in 2024.
The figure exceeded the record of nearly 32 million arrivals in 2019, and compared with about 25 million visitors in 2023.
The surge in foreign visitors has been spurred by the slumping value of the yen, which hit its lowest level against the US dollar in more than three decades last year.
Among arrivals last year, the number from Hong Kong reached about 2.7 million, the fifth highest after South Korea, mainland China, Taiwan and the US.
The figure was up from about 2.1 million in 2023, and around 2.3 million in 2019 before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Huen said Japan’s new attractions would lure more visitors to the country, including the World Expo to be held in Osaka between April and October.
He added the strong momentum would continue to grow this year, and expected a 10 per cent rise in the number of Hong Kong visitors to Japan, reaching about 3 million.
Professor Terence Chong Tai-leung, executive director of the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Lau Chor Tak Institute of Global Economics and Finance, said the yen had already hit a very low low level and would fluctuate, but he added that a slight rise in its value would not dampen residents’ mood to travel to the country.
Lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai, who represents the retail sector, said the trend of residents travelling to Japan had hurt local consumption and retailing, but he added that the resumption of a multiple-entry visa scheme would bring more visitors from the mainland to mitigate the impact.
“Mega-events held in the city and the resumption of the multiple-entry visa scheme will help spur local consumption,” he said.
Beijing announced earlier that Shenzhen residents could apply for multiple-entry visas to Hong Kong from last month after a nine-year halt to the scheme.
Shenzhen residents had made 1.04 million trips to Hong Kong since the resumption of the scheme, marking a 22.3 per cent year-on-year increase, according to mainland authorities.
Lam Chi-chung, general officer of the Hong Kong Department Stores and Commercial Staff General Union, said the city’s sluggish retail sector was not only a result of residents visiting Japan, but also due to those heading to the mainland.
But he said the retail sector was likely to improve this year thanks to the resumption of the visa scheme and an expected economic boom centred on mega-events and giant pandas.
He urged retailers to take innovative measures and the government to develop more tourist attractions to lure visitors and spur local spending amid the continued outbound travel by city residents.
Hong Kong’s retail sales dropped for a ninth consecutive month in November, falling by 7.3 per cent year on year, with the total value standing at HK$31.7 billion (US$4.1 billion).
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