Hong Kong charts 1.5-fold YoY increase in tourist arrivals in Q1

HONG KONG, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong recorded over 11.23 million visitor arrivals in the first quarter this year, a 1.5-fold increase year-on-year and a 5-percent quarter-on-quarter hike, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) announced on Tuesday, citing preliminary statistics.

The figure reflects that the number of tourists registered a steady growth, the HKTB said.

There were some 3.4 million tourist arrivals in March, up 40 percent from the previous year. Among them, more than 2.46 million were from the Chinese mainland, a year-on-year increase of 25.4 percent. Non-mainland visits exceeded 930,000, up 92.1 percent year-on-year, it added.

The Tourism Board also announced that starting from May, it will regularly launch fireworks displays or drone performances at sea in conjunction with festivals or big events. The first drone performance will decorate the night sky over the Victoria Harbour on May 11, wooing more visitors.