A surge in visitor arrivals from mainland China boosted Hong Kong’s tourist traffic in the first half of the year, offsetting declines from other markets. According to the latest data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong jumped 16.2% in the first six months of 2013, to 7.84 million. This means that approximately two thirds (65.7%) of Hong Kong’s total visitor arrivals now come from the mainland. Other markets however, declined in the first half of the year. Short-haul markets contributed 2.27m visitors, 4.2% down year-on-year, with a 29.1% slump in visitors from Japan contributing to the decline. Long-haul markets also fell, down 4.1% to 1.51m visitors in the January-June period. Along with China, Hong Kong was boosted by other emerging markets. Arrivals from the GCC region (+11.3% to 17,915), Russia (+24.6% to 79.302) and Vietnam (+13.8% to 35,085) all saw double-digit growth, albeit from lower bases. In total, the Hong Kong welcomed 11.94m international visitors in the first half of the year, 8.7% more than the same period in 2012. Source: Traveldaily