The Hong Kong government is concerned over the development of the region's tourism, as a senior official revealed the number of mainland tourists had dropped 13 percent year-on-year in the first three weeks in March.

Gregory So Kam-leung, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of Hong Kong, said at the Hong Kong Legislative Council (Legco) on Thursday that the number of mainland visitors has declined due to the recent protests against smugglers, in which some radical locals confronted and verbally abused mainland visitors.

An average of 274 tour groups visited Hong Kong daily in March, which had dropped some 45 percent compared with the same period of time in 2014, Nandu Daily reported on Friday. 

In February, even with Spring Festival, usually a peak period for travel, the figure dropped 32.3 percent, according to Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong.

Leung Chun-ying, Hong Kong's chief executive, noted at the Legco on Thursday, saying that the tourism contributes significantly to Hong Kong GDP and a heavy blow to tourism can lead to a large number of unemployment. 

"In the Spring Festival holidays this year, fewer mainland visitors came to Hong Kong while more of them visited Macau," Leung said, adding that Hong Kong should be concerned about this phenomenon.

Leung said recent radical protests in Hong Kong not only violated the law but also damaged the city's image.

The government will continue to crack down on smuggling but at the same time, Hong Kong should avoid giving the impression to mainland visitors or foreign visitors that they are not welcome, he added.

By the end of February, more than 13,500 mainland visitors had been put on supervision by the Hong Kong authorities on suspicion of smuggling, Nandu Daily reported.