Preliminary figures for the Lunar New Year point to a rebound in tourist numbers, including overseas visitors.

The Tourism Board said on Saturday that Hong Kong attracted close to 680,000 tourists from Tuesday to Friday, a 6 percent year-on-year increase.

The board's executive director Dane Cheng told a Commercial Radio programme that the percentage increase for overseas visitors was even better.

“From Lunar New Year Eve to Thursday, there was a 12 percent year-on-year increase. People might feel that the vibe is better because most of them congregated in the tourist hot spots,” he said.

“I hiked to the Peak with my family [on Friday], and it was super crowded. There were people in every mall and restaurant, and the Peak tram station was packed with people.”

There were more than 560,000 mainland visitors in the first four days of their eight-day Golden Week holiday.

Cheng said he expects more mainlanders to visit Hong Kong in the coming days, noting many of them might have been spending time with their families earlier in the holiday.

He also noted that about half of the inbound tourists stayed overnight, and most hotels were nearly fully booked