Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong reached their highest ever single-month level in July 2010, though much of the gain is relative to a 2009 tourism season that was negatively impacted by the H1N1 Influenza.

A record 3.1 million visitors made it to Hong Kong during July 2010, an increase of 31.9 percent year-on-year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board announced. July continued early growth patterns, with almost 20 million visitors in the first seven months of 2010 representing a 24.4 percent rise compared to the same period last year.

The growth in overall arrivals - which exceeded visitor numbers for July 2008 (before H1N1) by 15.8 percent- was led by Mainland China, which provided more than two million visitors. This figure was 40 percent more than July last year and the highest monthly figure for the market, reflecting the popularity of summer travel with the Mainland.

Other short-haul markets also displayed significant growth, with South and Southeast Asia posting a near 40 percent increase in arrivals off the back of improved economic conditions and greater flight capacity.

Visits from long-haul markets showed steady growth, with a 10.6 percent increase in July 2010 compared to 2009. This figure was dwarfed by the prolific growth experienced in the emerging markets: Russia, the Middle East, and India grew by 86 percent, 47.5 percent and 44.9 percent respectively, propelled by the economic recovery and more frequent flights.