Tourists throng Victoria Peak, which offers a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island, on May 1. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong has reclaimed its spot as one of the top outbound destinations for Chinese mainland visitors since the full resumption of normal travel in February, with more than 9,600 tour groups having poured into the city, most of which, however, were on low-cost and short-stay visits, according to official data released on Wednesday.

The city is expected to see more mainland tourists as the nation announced today it has fully resumed the nationwide program for group travel permits for mainland residents to Hong Kong and Macao.

Data published by the Hong Kong Tourism Board suggested a revival, with more than 3 million mainland travelers — one-third of the pre-pandemic level — having visited the city in February and March, the first two months since the lifting of travel restrictions

A written reply from Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung to lawmakers showed that 86 percent of the total 9,674 inbound mainland tour groups between February 6 and May 7 spent one or two days in Hong Kong, 2 percent stayed for five days or more, and more than half of the tours were priced at 500 yuan ($72) or less.

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Traditional icons in the city, such as the Hong Kong Observation Wheel in Central, Ocean Park in Southern district and the Peak Tram still maintain their appeal to Chinese mainland tourists, while newly-opened attractions featuring culture and art, such as the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, are gaining popularity.

About 625,000 mainland tourists visited Hong Kong during the recently concluded five-day May Day holiday, dubbed “golden week”, recovering to 60 percent of the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak, the Hong Kong SAR Immigration Department figures revealed.

Data published by the Hong Kong Tourism Board suggested a revival, with more than 3 million mainland travelers — one-third of the pre-pandemic level — having visited the city in February and March, the first two months since the lifting of travel restrictions.

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Travel to Hong Kong and Macao has not wound down since the May Day holiday. Online travel agency Ctrip’s data show that bookings for mainland tour groups to the two special administrative regions in May have seen a 70 percent growth month-on-month.

In response to public concerns about possible illegal practices in the tourism industry, including forced shopping on low-price inbound tours, as well as traffic jams caused by tour groups, the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Authority said it has not received any complaints about mainland tour groups in the past three months.

Yeung revealed that the SAR government will release more resources to strengthen monitoring of inbound travel groups, and to support the tourism industry to develop diverse travel itineraries and products.