Hong Kong saw a year-on-year fall in tourist arrivals in October as the global economic downturn began to bite, according to a report Saturday.
The number of visitors to the city of 6.9 million in October dropped 1.6 per cent compared to the same month last year, the South China Morning Post reported.
Hong Kong has had 24.3 million visitors in the first 10 months of 2008, 6 per cent more than for the same period in 2007, but 2 percentage points short of its target.
The city set out to attract 30 million visitors in 2008 after welcoming a record-breaking 28 million in 2007 but has now had to downgrade its estimates.
The slump in October visitors came despite a region-wide promotion to sell the former British colony as a Halloween destination throughout the month.
The city's tourism board has been given 3.2 million US dollars in government funding for a WinterFest with fake snow and Christmas attractions to try to boost visitor numbers before the year end.
Shares fell 2.1 per cent Friday on the Seoul stock exchange on general recession fears. South Korea's won dropped against the dollar.
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