Hong Kong sees 9.2 pct increase in tourist arrivals in August

HONG KONG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — Hong Kong saw nearly 4.5 million visitor arrivals in August, up 9.2 percent year on year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Wednesday, citing preliminary data.
From January to August this year, a total of 29.5 million visitor arrivals were made to Hong Kong, up 43.7 percent year on year, the tourism board said.
Statistics show that of all the visitor arrivals in August, about 3.66 million were from the Chinese mainland and about 790,000 were from elsewhere, up around 6.6 percent and 23.4 percent year on year, respectively.
From January to August, about 23 million visitor arrivals were from the Chinese mainland and about 6.6 million were from elsewhere, up 38.9 percent and 63.5 percent year on year, respectively. Overnight visitors accounted for 50 percent of arrivals.
Dane Cheng, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said that more than 400 different celebrations will be held across Hong Kong this year, which marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
The tourism board will also launch a series of promotion events in the Chinese mainland for more visits to Hong Kong during the National Day “golden week” holiday to get a first-hand experience of Hong Kong’s diversity, he said. ■