Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Tuesday that the city saw visitor arrivals rose 43.5% year on year to 2.62 million in June this year, thanks to an increase in the number of mainland tourists and to a recovery in global economy, sources reported.

In the period from January to June, the number of visitors to Hong Kong increased 23.1% from a year earlier to 16.86 million, the highest level ever recorded.

The board said that the number of tourists from mainland China hit 10.48 million in the first half, 26.9% more than same period of last year. This was boosted by the economic growth and strong travel and consumption sentiments in the mainland.

The number of tourists from Taiwan grew 12% year on year to 1.05 million in the first half. Tourists arrivals from Japan, South Korean and the ASEAN member countries all experienced double-digit growth.