Hong Kong - Hong Kong appeared to buck tourism trends worldwide by recording an 11 per cent increase in visitor numbers in January, official figures released Thursday showed.

Almost 2.8 million people visited the former British colony in January compared to 2.5 million in January 2008, according the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).

However, more than two thirds of these came from mainland China and more than 40 per cent did not stay overnight.

Visitors from the US dropped from 152,900 to 114,427 in the same time period, a fall of 26 per cent and a sign that the global economic downturn was affecting tourism.

Similar falls were recorded in visitors from Europe, Africa and the Middle East which dropped 24 per cent, while numbers from North Asia fell by 30 per cent.

Only visitors from China and the neighbouring Macau increased.

In January, mainland visitors accounted for 1.9 million - or 67 per cent - of the total.

Hong Kong's visitor arrivals have rocketed since the easing of cross-border travel restrictions by China in 2003, allowing millions more Chinese people to visit the former British colony.

The Hong Kong statistics include same-day visitors from southern China and also those who clear immigration but do not stay overnight, meaning millions who transit the city between Taiwan and China are included in the total. (dpa)