KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Kong welcomed over 49.9 million visitors in 2025, marking a 12 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) increase, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).
Its regional director for Southeast Asia, Liew Chian Jia, said Malaysian arrivals grew 6 per cent y-o-y to 430,000 in 2025.
“Globally, Hong Kong welcomed nearly 50 million visitors, including 3.2 million from Southeast Asia.
“Interestingly, 75 per cent of Malaysian visitors are repeat travellers to Hong Kong. This speaks volumes about Hong Kong’s enduring appeal,” she said in her opening remarks at the ‘Iftar with Media and Trade 2026’ event here on Tuesday night.
She said that in the global Muslim travel rankings, Hong Kong was ranked first as a Muslim-friendly accessible destination, second in safety for Muslim women travellers, and third as the most Muslim-friendly destination among non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations.
“Building on this momentum, we have seen exceptional support from industry partners in Hong Kong who introduced new initiatives to enrich the experience for Muslim visitors further.
“Currently, we have a total of 195 halal-certified, Muslim-owned and Muslim-friendly eateries and restaurants. Furthermore, there are 59 hotels, two attractions and two venues with Muslim-friendly certification,” she said.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Tuesday, HKTB said 59 hotels are now “Crescent Rated” – a globally recognised independent rating and accreditation system that assesses travel services, including hotels and restaurants, based on how well they meet key needs of Muslim travellers, such as halal food availability, prayer facilities and other faith-aligned services.
It said these properties provide Muslim-friendly amenities such as prayer mats, ‘qibla’ or prayer direction indicators and halal meal options upon request, with selected hotels offering dedicated prayer spaces.
HKTB also said that following its nine accolades at the Halal in Travel Awards 2025, Hong Kong is entering a new phase through an expanded ecosystem of halal- and Muslim-friendly-certified infrastructure, as well as creative cultural engagement.
“Building on this recognition, Hong Kong has continued expanding its Muslim-friendly offerings,” it said. – BERNAMA
