Tourist arrivals hit 8.4 million in the first two months of the year, a seven percent increase year on year, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Friday.

More than three-quarters of them – or 6.5 million – were from the mainland, an uptick of four percent.

Arrivals from other short-haul markets also rose, with those from the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea each surging more than 30 percent.

Visitor numbers from long-haul markets grew as well, up 20 percent to 500,000.

Arrivals from Australia, for example, saw a 34 percent increase.

Hong Kong celebrated the start of the Year of the Snake on January 29, hosting a series of events such as the Lunar New Year parade and a fireworks display.