Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong increased by 10.1% in the first half to more than 30.6 million, largely the result of a double-digit growth in mainland Chinese, data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board showed today.

Among the tourists, those who stayed overnight exceeded 13.85 million, up by 6.2% on-year.

But visitor arrivals from short-haul markets fluctuated, falling by 1.5%, the HKTB reported.

The top three destinations for Chinese mainlanders in the first half were Hong Kong, Macau, and Thailand, according to the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration under the Ministry of Public Security.

More than 78.56 million documents for exits and entries were issued, up 18.2% on a yearly basis.

Over 77.94 million exits were made by Chinese mainlanders, while 23.11 million entries were by foreign citizens, increasing by 14.1% and 11.2% year-on-year respectively.

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