The tourism industry in Hong Kong began to rise in the 1950s, with its reputation as a "shopping paradise" and unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures attracting tourists from all over the world, thus becoming a world-renowned tourist destination. The development of Hong Kong's tourism industry is influenced by policies and the environment. The establishment of the "Tourism Development Committee" in Hong Kong in 1955 marked the beginning of modern Hong Kong's tourism industry. After the establishment of the Tourism Development Committee, relevant regulations on tourism were promulgated to regulate the development of the tourism industry. In 1957, the Hong Kong government and the tourism industry established the semi official Hong Kong Tourism Association to guide the development of tourism resources and the tourism industry in Hong Kong. Under the guidance of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, Hong Kong recognizes its advantage in developing its tourism industry as a free port, a gathering place for goods, personnel, and capital from various countries (regions), and a "showcase of world goods". In 1954, the number of visitors was only 48694, but in 1958 it exceeded 100000, and by 1967 it had reached 489000. With the rapid development of Hong Kong's economy, various hardware and software facilities of Hong Kong as a free port have gradually improved. In 1971, the per capita GDP of Hong Kong exceeded $1000, reaching $1103 (which is the internationally recognized starting point for the rise of vacation tourism). In 1977, the per capita GDP of Hong Kong exceeded $3000, reaching $3429 (which is the internationally recognized starting point for the rise of experiential tourism). Hong Kong's tourism is moving towards a fast track of mass and comprehensive development, and the contribution of the tourism industry to Hong Kong's economic development is increasing. The British Hong Kong government is also paying more and more attention to the tourism industry. In the 1980s, the implementation of the reform and opening up policy on the Chinese Mainland brought vitality and vigor to the Hong Kong economy. At the same time, Taiwan gradually relaxed its policies for Taiwanese residents to visit and travel to the mainland, and the number of visitors transferring from Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland continued to increase, directly leading to a new breakthrough in Hong Kong's tourism industry. In 1984, the number of visitors to Hong Kong exceeded 3 million, and by 1997, it had exceeded 40 million. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong returned to the motherland and ushered in new development opportunities. Large tourism projects such as Disneyland began to be built. In 2003, the free administration policy was introduced, and a large number of mainland Chinese tourists flooded into Hong Kong, greatly promoting the development of the tourism industry. The number of inbound travelers reached 21.8106 million in 2004 and has been increasing year by year since then, reaching a peak of 65.1475 million in 2018. It can be said that the number of inbound tourists to Hong Kong has been continuously increasing since 2009, driven by mainland tourists. From 2019 to 2020, Hong Kong's tourism industry suffered a temporary setback due to the anti amendment campaign and the COVID-19. However, with the promulgation of the National Security Law and the alleviation of the epidemic, the tourism industry gradually recovered. After the COVID-19, due to the increasingly rich prices and tourism attractions in the mainland, Hong Kong people moved north, and reverse consumption has become the norm of tourism consumption in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. According to data released by the Tourism Development Bureau, the number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong will recover to 26.76 million in 2023, and the cumulative number of residents heading north to Hong Kong will reach 53 million in 2023.
Hong Kong is located at the center of Southeast Asia and is an important transportation hub connecting Asia with other parts of the world. The completion of the Hong Kong International Airport, the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge, and the high-speed railway has further enhanced Hong Kong's transportation convenience. The convenient transportation makes the gathering of goods, people, and funds from various countries (regions) the main tourist attraction for business people. In addition, "Shopping Paradise" and "Duty Free Port" are another major tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Hong Kong has numerous large shopping centers, department stores, and street markets, offering a wide range of luxury brands and local specialty products, such as shopping centers in Central, Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, and luxury shopping streets on Canton Road, meeting the shopping needs of different tourists. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is a duty-free port where there is no need to pay sales tax when shopping, thus attracting a large number of shopping tourists. In addition to tourist attractions such as facilities and services, Hong Kong also has rich natural and cultural landscapes. It not only has globally renowned theme parks such as Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park, but also natural landscapes such as Victoria Peak, Lamma Island, and Dragon's Back. It also has rich historical and cultural heritage, such as the Temple of Heaven Buddha, Wong Tai Sin Temple, and the former Kowloon Canton Railway Clock Tower, which are major tourist attractions. Events are also a major tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Every year, Hong Kong hosts numerous international festivals and exhibitions, such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Ocean Festival, Hong Kong Food Festival, etc., to attract tourists.
Hong Kong, as an international tourist city, has numerous well-known tourism enterprises. One of the core tourism enterprises is China Tourism Group Limited and Hong Kong China Travel Service (Group) Limited. China Tourism Group is an important state-owned backbone enterprise directly managed by the central government, and also one of the central enterprises headquartered in Hong Kong, China. The history of the group can be traced back to 1923. After a century of development, the group has formed an industrial layout consisting of travel agencies, scenic spots, hotels, duty-free, tourism transportation, document business, cruise ships, real estate, and comprehensive business in Hong Kong. Its business network covers more than 30 countries and regions in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and overseas. The group has gathered many well-known tourism brands such as Hong Kong China Travel Service, China Travel Service, China Duty Free, etc. It is the only central enterprise in the People's Republic of China that focuses on tourism as its main business, and is currently the tourism leading enterprise with the longest development history, complete industrial chain, large business scale, and high brand value in China. By the end of 2023, the number of employees in the group exceeded 43000, the total assets of the group exceeded 200 billion yuan, the number of wholly-owned or controlled subsidiaries exceeded 600, and the annual reception of tourists exceeded 80 million.