Hong Kong’s economy grew 2.7 per cent in first quarter, John Lee reveals, while hailing ‘golden week’ tourism and city’s ‘soft power’
- Chief executive projects 600,000 mainland visitors to converge on city by end of five-day break on Wednesday
- He expresses confidence in city’s economic showing in coming months, touting its many attractions and ‘charisma’
Hong Kong’s economy rebounded with a 2.7 per cent growth in the first quarter due to a rise in inbound tourism and domestic consumption, the city’s leader revealed on Tuesday, striking an upbeat note for the coming months by pointing to the surge in cross-border visitors during “golden week”.
“Hong Kong always emphasises its attractions in many regards, with not just favourite shopping spots or good theme parks. We also have country parks and a lot of outlying areas which we think are very attractive to tourists,” Lee told reporters before his weekly meeting with the key decision-making Executive Council.
“We are seeing an active, energetic and ‘hotter’ city.”
The growth comes after four consecutive quarters of contraction, with the economy shrinking by 4.1 per cent in the final three months of last year against the same period in 2021.
