Half of tourists make overnight stays: Kevin Yeung
Tourism minister Kevin Yeung said on Wednesday that half of tourists who visited Hong Kong last year made overnight stays, a higher proportion than before the pandemic.  Yeung told lawmakers that the average length of a visit had also increased to 3.5 nights, up from just over three nights in 2017 and 2018.  Figures showed that 34 million people visited the SAR last year, compared with 65 million in 2018. Yeung was responding to questions from lawmakers who noted there had been complaints on mainland social media about the cost of hotels here, with some visitors saying they preferred day trips. He said the average hotel cost in November and December was about HK$1,500 per night, similar to pre-pandemic levels.  "On mainland social media, you can see different people's views on whether the prices are high or low. Whether they stay overnight or not is a matter of personal choice," he said. Yeung added that the number of tourists from Asean countries has returned to about three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels since the borders reopened.