Jakarta. Hong Kong registered double-digit yearly growth in Indonesian tourists in 2024, according to the global financial center's tourism board.

The government-subverted Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) revealed Friday that Indonesia had become a "key source market" for the vibrant city's travel industry. Hong Kong recorded 366,973 Indonesian tourist arrivals in January-December 2024, up 42 percent compared to the previous year.

The agency attributed the robust growth to the ongoing efforts to turn Hong Kong into a Muslim-friendly destination, among others, by having more eateries get halal certifications. At present, Hong Kong is home to 153 halal-certified and Muslim-owned restaurants. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-majority country, thus making such certifications necessary if Hong Kong wishes to attract travelers from Southeast Asia's largest economy. Over 245 million Indonesians identify themselves as Muslims.

"As we enhance Hong Kong's positioning as a Muslim-friendly destination, we see positive growth for Indonesian travelers going to Hong Kong. ... Indonesians tend to travel during longer holiday periods such as the Eid holidays in April," Liew Chian Jia, the regional director for Southeast Asia at the HKTB, told the Jakarta Globe on Friday.

Many Indonesians also fly to Hong Kong during the school breaks in June-July, as well as the year-end holidays. Gen Z travelers would usually build their holidays around travel experiences and events, Jia said.

HKTB data showed that the average spending by an Indonesian tourist reached 7,400 Hong Kong dollars (approximately $952) per capita. The agency also found that the average length of stay for Indonesian holidaymakers stood at 3.5 nights.

According to Jia, improved flight connectivity was also another reason for the soaring arrival numbers. Last October, budget airline AirAsia launched direct flights from Indonesia's capital Jakarta and Bali to Hong Kong. AirAsia announced at the time that there would be direct flights on these routes every day.

HKTB reported that around 44.5 million visitors had set foot in Hong Kong throughout 2024. About 3 million of those holidaymakers came from Southeast Asia. This year, Hong Kong is raising the overall target to 49 million visitor arrivals. Jia, however, did not say how many Indonesian travelers Hong Kong was hoping to attract in 2025, although the organization remained optimistic about the numbers.

"We are positive about the growth of Indonesian [tourist] arrivals [in Hong Kong]," Jia said.