The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) on Wednesday said visitor arrivals last month were up 17 percent from June, to more than 48,000.

In a statement, it said out of the 48,048 travellers who arrived in the city in July, 40,091 were from the mainland.

There were also 3,072 short-haul travellers and 3,596 long-haul visitors from outside the mainland.

The board said it's hopeful that a change in quarantine requirements earlier this month would be a good start towards the full resumption of travel.

"The HKTB is prepared and will continue to connect closely with trade members and stakeholders of the tourism industry and related sectors to welcome back visitors when boundaries and borders reopen," the statement read.