Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said Hong Kong should continue to come up with good ideas to attract tourists, amid concerns that visitor numbers still fall short of pre-pandemic levels.

His comment came after the number of Hongkongers travelling elsewhere exceeded the number of people who visited the SAR over the long weekend.

"I believe Hong Kong people love travelling. So whenever the opportunity arises, it's natural for people to go out for their holiday. We have to face up to this trend. And this goes to show that we must enhance our competitiveness in tourism," he told reporters before going into the weekly Executive Council meeting.

"All tourism-related industries should come up with good ideas to offer more diversity in Hong Kong. Of course, other places are also attractive. We remain open-minded and we can certainly learn from them."

He said authorities will listen to more public views before deciding whether events such as waterfront night markets should be held regularly.