The latest report released by DTZ Debenham Tie Leung shows that in the first four months of 2006, star-rated hotels in Hong Kong achieved satisfactory room occupancies and income thanks to the rise of inbound tourists from China.

Debenham Tie Leung's statistics show that in the first four months, there were 8.35 million inbound visitors in Hong Kong, an increase of 12.7% compared with the same period of last year.

56.3% of those travelers were from mainland China. The number of tourists from Europe and America also reached 1.356 million, increasing 9.3%.

As a result of the tourist influx, the average room occupancy of hotels in Hong Kong reached 87.3%, and the room rates, especially for 3-star hotels, increased by 20% and reached HKD660 per night.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board estimates that there will be 2.7 million visitors coming to Hong Kong this year, and the average occupancy for hotels will ultimately reach 89%.