HK tourist numbers rise 2.9 pct in March

Tourist arrivals in March exceeded 2.16 million, up 2.9 percent on the same month last year, Hong Kong Tourism Board said Monday, adding that the total number of arrivals from January to March rose 6.3 percent to more than 6. 61 million.

More than 1.29 million arrivals (59.9 percent) stayed in the city for at least one night in March, with the reminder, 867,000 or 40.1 percent, classified as same-day in-town visitors.

Arrivals from key regional source markets all registered increases, except the Chinese mainland which fell 3.5 percent to 1, 086,645 and Taiwan which dropped 0.6 percent to 167,096.

Of the 1,086,645 Mainland visitors, 50.9 percent or 553,000 traveled under the Individual Visit Scheme, up 7.3 percent on the same month last year.

Hotel occupancy was 89 percent, two percentage points lower than the same month last year. The average hotel room rate was 1, 315 U.S. dollars, up 18.2 percent on March 2006.

Source: Xinhua