Awwal 25, 1432 / April 29, 2011, SPA -- Hong Kong welcomed a record 9.7 million visitors in the first quarter of 2011, 12.6 per cent more than in the first quarter of 2010, the city's tourism board said Friday, according to dpa. The total puts the city of 7 million on target to smash its record-breaking 2010 total of 36 million visitors. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has set a target of 40 million visitors for 2011. The majority of visitors to the former British colony come from mainland China, accounting for more than 2 million visitors a month in the first three months of the year, according to the figures. Visitor arrivals in Hong Kong have risen steadily since cross-border travel restrictions in China were substantially eased from 2003 onwards.
