Hong Kong welcomed over 36 million visitors in the first three quarters of 2025, marking a 12 percent increase year on year.

Preliminary figures released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) on Wednesday also showed robust growth in the number of inbound travellers from places other than the mainland, which stood at about 8.5 million during the period, up 16 percent year on year.

Notably, visitor numbers from Taiwan, Japan and Australia were particularly strong, according to the HKTB.

The 28 million travellers from the mainland, meanwhile, accounted for about 78 percent of the overall number, up 11 percent year on year.

In September alone, visitor arrivals were about 3.3 million, up eight percent on the year, with those from long-haul markets up 14 percent and those from short-haul markets rising by 9 percent.

Travellers from new markets grew by 13 percent in September, compared to the same period last year.