The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region registered 4.74 million visitor arrivals in January, up 24 percent year-on-year, benefitting from the positive ambiance arising from the Chinese New Year holiday and relevant festive celebrations.

Among them, approximately 3.73 million were from the Chinese mainland, up 25 percent year-on-year, according to preliminary data released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) on Friday.

Both figures set a new record for monthly visitor arrivals since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Non-mainland visits in January totaled about 1.02 million, marking the third consecutive month exceeding one million in monthly arrivals, the data showed.

Meanwhile, the number of visitors from both short-haul and long-haul markets rose by more than 20 percent year-on-year.

Growth momentum persists for various markets such as the Philippines, Indonesia, China’s Taiwan region, South Korea and Australia, with visitors from these markets increasing by about 30 percent or more from the same period last year, said the HKTB.

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The HKSAR government released the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0 in December.

Dane Cheng, executive director of the tourism board, said the HKTB will intensify its promotion of target markets and demographics, with an aim to attract global travelers through diverse tourism products and experiences.