Visitors to Hong Kong in the first half of 2006 increased 11.1 percent to 12.19 million from a year earlier, with the Chinese mainland visitors accounting for half of all arrivals, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said on Friday.

June saw an 8.3 percent year-on-year increase in arrivals, to more than 1.88 million visitors, according to a government press release.

Arrivals from every region increased in the first half, with the Chinese mainland recording 14 percent growth. Arrivals from South and Southeast Asia grew by 11 percent, Europe, Africa and the Middle East by 9.7 percent, Australia and New Zealand and South Pacific by 9.5 percent.

In the first half this year, 47.1 percent of 6.7 million Chinese mainland visitors traveled to Hong Kong under the Individual Visit Scheme, marking a 24.4 percent increase over the same period last year, said the HKTB.

About 44 percent of June arrivals from the Chinese mainland traveled under the scheme, a 20 percent year-on-year growth.

The first half also saw the hotel and guesthouse occupancy rate increase to 86 percent, up 3 percent from the same period last year. The June occupancy figure stood at 84 percent, up 1 percent from the same period in 2005. The city's hotel-room numbers grew 3. 7 percent between June 2005 and June 2006.

The average room rate in the January-to-June period stood at 1, 046 HK dollars (134.10 U.S. dollars), up 16.2 percent from the same period last year. The June rate was also up 16.1 percent from a year earlier, to 940 HK dollars.

Source: Xinhua