Ongoing recovery in Mainland tourism buoyed headline figures.

Total visitor arrivals rose 9.6% YoY to 15.61m tourists in the first three months of 2018, according to statistics released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

A recovery in inbound tourism from the Mainland continues to gain traction as visitor growth increased 12.6% QoQ to 12.18m in Q1. The positive development has spilled over to the retail sector which is currently enjoying increased amounts of footfall and stronger sales following a protracted slump. 

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The number of tourists from Japan led the charge in short haul markets after inching up 2.1% QoQ to 326,645 visitors. Higher inbound tourism levels from Malaysia and the Philippines were registered over the same period.

However, tourist arrivals from Indonesia dropped 11.4% to 99,424 along with Taiwan which fell 6%.

For the long-haul markets which contributed 1.1m in total headline tourism, the United Kingdom posted the most significant increase after tourist arrivals grew 8% QoQ to 155,016 in Q1. The Canada, US, France and Australia markets also buoyed monthly tourist arrivals.