Hong Kong residents made 70.3 million trips to the Mainland last year, a rise of 0.8%. Sixty-six per cent were for personal travel and the rest for business.

Publishing the figures today, the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics attributed the small growth to heavy snowfalls during the Lunar New Year, the Sichuan earthquake in May and the Beijing 2008 Olympics last August.

Of the 46.5 million personal trips to the Mainland, 57% were to Shenzhen, 38% for other places in Guangdong and 5% for places outside the province.

Only 2% of trips to Shenzhen were in package tours while the rate for places outside the Guangdong was 32%.

Analysed by length of stay, 42% were same-day trips and the rest were overnight trips, with an average of 3.4 nights.

Total consumption expenditure of Hong Kong people on personal travel grew by 0.6% on 2007 and amounted to $29.3 billion. Average expenditure per trip was $630, up $10 on 2007. For overnight trips of personal travel average expenditure was $870. For same-day trips the amount was $300.

Ninety-five per cent of trips to the Mainland were by land, 3% by sea and 2% by air.

The busiest checkpoints were Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau, accounting for 53% and 21% of trips.

The digest can be downloaded here or from the Government Bookstore.