Visitor arrivals still lackluster in Hong Kong amid epidemic

HONG KONG - The number of inbound visitors to Hong Kong remained at a low level in June as restrictions over cross-border travel were still in place amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said Thursday that the provisional visitor arrivals last month stood at 6,200, a 57.6-percent drop year on year, with a daily average of around 207 visitors.

The cumulative visitor arrivals were around 34,000 in the first half of the year, representing a 99-percent plunge from the corresponding period of 2020.

The HKTB also announced plans to offer another 190 free local tours to residents who have taken the vaccines after an overwhelming response received by the first round of the program, which was launched to encourage vaccination and help Hong Kong achieve herd immunity.

No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Hong Kong on Thursday, the second day of zero increase this month. Over the past two weeks, there were 32 new infections, including 30 imported from overseas.

Nearly 2.7 million residents have taken at least one shot of the vaccines since the rollout started in late February, accounting for 39.7 percent of the eligible population. Among them, some 1.88 million people have been fully vaccinated.