Hong Kong's visitor arrivals up 13 pct in H1

HONG KONG, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong recorded approximately 26.71 million visitor arrivals in the first half (H1) of 2026, up 13 percent year on year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) on Thursday.

During the period, visits from the Chinese mainland climbed 16 percent year-on-year to 20.56 million, while visits from the rest of the world grew 5 percent to 6.16 million, HKTB data showed.

In June alone, the city recorded about 3.72 million visitor arrivals, up 7 percent from a year ago.

The tourism board said visitor arrivals continued to rise throughout the first half of the year, with long-haul markets maintaining a stable overall performance. In particular, arrivals from France, Canada, Australia and other long-haul markets each posted year-on-year growth of 20 percent or more.