Hong Kong tourism hit badly, as arrivals drop

Hong Kong’s tourism sector has been hit hard by the rapid spread of the corona virus. In February, arrivals fell to 199,000 which was the daily average during the first half of last year, South China Morning Post reported on Monday.

The tourism board’s figures showed a 96% drop year on year for the period, after the government rolled out measures from February 8, to control the spread of the virus by closing all but three border checkpoints with mainland China. For the rest of the month, the average number of tourists coming to the city stood at just 3,300 on a daily basis. That meant only one in five were mainland Chinese, who used to account for 80% of all visitors to Hong Kong.

Globally 47 countries and jurisdictions have issued advisories against travel to mainland China, with 28 of those including Hong Kong in its list. In Hong Kong, seven more cases were recorded on Sunday bringing the total local tally to 148.

Key tourist attractions such as Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland have shut indefinitely.