Short-haul tourist arrivals fall 15% amid strong Hong Kong dollar, fewer flights

Hong Kong’s short-haul visitor arrivals plunged by 15 per cent in June despite an overall growth in traffic, as higher fuel costs linked to the Middle East conflict reduced flight capacity and weaker regional currencies dampened travel demand, tourism authorities have said.The Hong Kong Tourism Board said on Thursday that the city received 3.72 million visitors last month, up by 7 per cent from a year earlier, driven largely by a 10 per cent rise in mainland Chinese arrivals to 2.88 million.But the number of non-mainland visitors fell by 4 per cent to 837,962, with the decline in short-haul travellers partially offset by a 16 per cent increase in long-haul arrivals to 277,034.