Hong Kong recorded a 5 per cent year-on-year rise in mainland Chinese visitors on the first day of the National Day “golden week” break, with industry leaders expecting more arrivals on Thursday and higher spending from long-haul travellers.

Immigration figures showed a total of 558,431 inbound trips on Wednesday, marking a 1.27 per cent decrease from last year. But the number of mainland tourists stood at 232,751, representing a 5 per cent increase compared with the same day last year.

A net inflow of about 122,894 trips was logged on Wednesday, with 435,537 outbound ones made. Of the inbound trips, 41 per cent were by mainlanders.

About 270 mainland tour groups also arrived in the city to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said both tour groups and independent travellers flocked to popular spots such as Tsim Sha Tsui, adding that busy open-top sightseeing buses and packed restaurants signalled a high demand for experiences on the first day of the eight-day holiday.

“The mainland golden week holiday has just started and some travellers chose multi-stop itineraries. Some people flew to Shenzhen or Guangzhou to spend a day before arriving in Hong Kong. I believe more of them will come [on Thursday],” Chui told a radio programme.