HK visitors up 9pc in first half, and mainlanders lead the charge

More than 14 million people visited Hong Kong during the first half of this year, up 9.1 per cent on the same period last year.

Tourism Board executive director Anthony Lau Chun-hon said that up to Sunday, more than half of the visitors - 7.7 million people - had come from the mainland. The number of mainland visitors was up 11.2 per cent year on year. The number of overseas visitors rose 6.6 per cent to more than 6.3 million.

'We are prudently optimistic about the visitor numbers [for the second half of the year],' Mr Lau said, adding that the board was maintaining its forecast for an 8 per cent increase in visitors this year.

A record 28.1 million people visited the city last year, according to the board, and it expects up to 30.4 million this year.

The board is launching a series of promotions - including lucky draws and free gifts for visitors to three designated tourist spots - from today until September 21.

Meanwhile, the Ngong Ping 360 cable car has carried nearly 800,000 passengers since it reopened on January 1 after being closed for six months because a gondola fell 50 metres during a test. The cable car service has been suspended a few times since the reopening, either because of bad weather or technical problems, but managing director Morris Cheung Siu-wa said more passengers were expected in the next six months.

'The situation is improving, and we are confident that the number of passengers and the service will be better than the first half of the year,' he said.