Stranded passengers are seen at Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 12, 2019. Photo:Xinhua

The number of visitors to Hong Kong dropped 10 percent year-on-year to 52.72 million in the first 11 months of year 2019, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).

The number of visitors for the first half year went up 14 percent from a year ago. While from July to November, visitor arrivals declined 36 percent as tourism bore the brunt of prolonged social unrest.

Combo photo taken on Aug. 20, 2019 (up) and on May 1, 2015 respectively shows tourists visiting the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui of Hong Kong, south China. Photo:Xinhua

From the latest statistics by the HKTB, tourist arrivals took a sharp plunge in November. November saw no more than 2.65 million visitor arrivals, a decline of 55.9 percent from the same period last year.

Visitor arrivals from all markets to Hong Kong fell in November. Visitors from the Chinese mainland, accounting for about 73 percent of the total, slumped 58.4 percent year-on-year.

South Korean visitors fell 72.5 percent from a year ago, making it the sharpest plunge among all markets.

U.S. and Japanese visitors plunged 43.4 percent and 59.2 percent from a year ago, respectively.