Hong Kong sees 52 pct increase in tourist arrivals in Jan-July

HONG KONG - Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong amounted to 3.92 million in July, up 10 percent year-on-year, half of which being overnight stays, showed preliminary data released Thursday by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

From January to July this year, a total of about 25 million visitor arrivals to Hong Kong were recorded, up 52 percent year-on-year, the data showed. Among them, 19.3 million were from the Chinese mainland, up 47 percent year-on-year, compared to 5.8 million non-Chinese mainland visitor arrivals, up 71 percent year-on-year.

Last month saw 3.14 million Chinese mainland visitor arrivals, an increase of 5.5 percent year-on-year, in addition to about 780,000 non-mainland visitor arrivals, up 27.5 percent from a year earlier.

Since May this year, the tourism board has regularly organized drone or fireworks displays in conjunction with traditional festivals or big events to enrich visitors' experience, and earned positive feedback from visitors.

Also on Thursday, Hong Kong's annual food expo, held by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, kicked off at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai, the city's iconic commercial district, attracting a crowd of bargain hunters and foodies, including visitors coming for overnight stays.

To mark the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, the tourism board is expected to organize a themed drone show in Wan Chai. And more festive events are in the pipeline.