Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan on Sunday said around half of the visitors travelling from Guangdong to Hong Kong via their private cars stay overnight in the city, giving the local economy a boost.

The Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme, which came into effect last month, allows up to 100 private cars to enter Hong Kong’s urban areas for stays of up to three days.

Speaking on a TV programme, Chan said the number of people who signed up for the scheme was within the government’s expectation, adding that there’s been steady growth.

She also noted that more Guangdong visitors are planning to drive to the SAR over the Lunar New Year holidays.

"Among Guangdong vehicles coming to Hong Kong over the past month, we noticed that half of them stayed for one night or two, meaning the visitors spent three days in the city. The rest were day trippers but they would also consume in Hong Kong," she said.

"This is exactly the scheme's selling point that we want to highlight. Drivers will find it more convenient to go shopping, make purchases, attend exhibitions, make business trips and visit relatives with their cars. We hope shopping malls, hotels and parking facilities can offer discount packages to attract these drivers to shop and spend money in Hong Kong."

Chan said even though some mainland drivers may not be used to the traffic conditions here at the beginning, almost no major accidents have been registered so far.