Hong Kong sees rise in visitor numbers
New figures from the Hong Kong Tourism Board on Thursday showed more visitors have flown into the city since the government lifted an entry ban on non-residents in May, but the number is still minimal compared to the pre-Covid levels.  Between January and April, there were only 4,000 visitors each month, but the figure rose to 19,000 in May and 41,000 in June.  Total arrivals for the first half of the year were 76,000, more than double the level in the same period last year. More than 80 percent of the visitors came from the mainland.  About 35 million people visited Hong Kong in the first half of 2019 before the Covid pandemic, the board said.  The board noted that nearly 70 percent of visitors who arrived from overseas in June this year stopped overnight before travelling on to mainland cities. It said visitors picked Hong Kong for stopovers because of the city's convenient transport connections to the mainland, ease of communication, affordable air fares and attractive shopping options.