The visitor arrivals in May in Hong Kong fell by 13.4 percent year-on-year to 2,027,572, said the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) here on Tuesday.

According to the figure released, total arrivals from the short- haul regions decreased by 14.3 percent in May, as led by the spread of A/H1N1 flu worldwide, which has dampened consumers' desire to travel.

The impact was particularly pronounced in arrivals from North Asia and South and Southeast Asia, while in Taiwan, the cross- strait direct links continued to affect arrivals.

For Chinese mainland, both individual and group tour visitors decreased during the month, leading to a drop of 9.6 percent in overall arrivals. The shortfall was mainly driven by the impact of A/H1N1 flu, compounded by the promulgation of the travel agency ordinance.

As for the long-haul regions, visitor arrivals decreased by 9.5 percent during the month, as the demand for long-distance travel remained weak, mainly due to the poor economy and consumer sentiment.

For the five-month period from January to May 2009, total visitor arrivals stood at 11,870,775, 1.4 percent lower than the same period last year.

Notwithstanding the decline in May, the Chinese mainland continued to enjoy positive gain of 7.4 percent in its arrivals year-to-date.

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2009)