Restaurateurs and retailers in Hong Kong reported increased foot traffic and business throughout the first four days of mainland China’s Labour Day “golden week” break compared with last year, but the number of departing locals was still nearly 50 per cent more than incoming visitors.

Data from Hong Kong’s Immigration Department also showed that travellers made 987,636 inbound trips from last Thursday to Sunday of this week, with mainland tourists accounting for about 84 per cent of the tally.

The number of trips made by mainlanders over the four days stood at 832,489, representing a 24 per cent increase from the same period last year. But it still fell short of the 997,663 recorded during the first four days of the 2019 Labour Day break.

The first four days of the recent break also saw Hong Kong residents make about 1.4 million trips.

For Monday, the last day of the holiday, the number of inbound trips stood at 534,600 by 9pm, with 104,000 being made by visitors. City residents made 209,200 outbound trips.

While the city recorded a net outflow, restaurateurs and retailers said the impact on local businesses had been positive overall.