Hong Kong welcomed about 4.08 million visitor arrivals in May, a 20 percent year-on-year increase, primarily driven by the Chinese mainland’s May Day break, and major local events such as concerts and exhibitions.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Monday that the strong May performance has pushed the tourist arrivals over the first five months of 2025 to over 20 million, marking a 12 percent increase from the same period last year. Among the inbound visitor trips, 15.2 million were from the mainland, which represents a 10-percent year-on-year increase.

READ MORE: Hong Kong tourism strives to grow with new strategies

Visitor arrivals from nonmainland markets continued strong growth in May, reaching over 950,000, a 24 percent year-on-year increase.

Between January and May, nearly 5 million nonmainland visitor trips were logged, an 18 percent year-on-year increase. Among them, arrivals from Australia rose 35 percent year-on-year, while tourist trips from Taiwan province, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, and the Philippines saw 25 percent growth compared with the same period last year, respectively, the Tourism Board said.

READ MORE: John Lee pledges to boost Hong Kong tourism appeal

The city’s event schedule remains attractive to tourists in the coming months, with highlights including the Volleyball Nations League Hong Kong 2025, which will run from Wednesday through Sunday; a Brazil-themed carnival in late June; and the star-studded Hong Kong Football Festival 2025, in the second half of July.

Huang Yawen contributed to the story.