Hong Kong, Oct 7 (China News Service) — The Chinese mainland's National Day Golden Week holiday is drawing to a close. This year, Hong Kong not only welcomed a considerable influx of visitors, but also saw encouraging changes in cultural tourism consumption: arriving visitors no longer stopped at superficial sightseeing and "check-in" photos, but efficiently converted into incremental consumption. The catering and retail sectors were the first to benefit, injecting strong momentum into Hong Kong's economic development.

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po previously said that in the first three days of the Golden Week, more than 732,000 mainland visitors came to Hong Kong, an increase of about 8.4% year-on-year. According to statistics from the Hong Kong Immigration Department, in the first six days of the mainland National Day holiday, about 1.3 million mainland visitors came to Hong Kong, already exceeding the total expected by the SAR government for the seven-day period. On October 3, during the mainland National Day holiday, many visitors to Hong Kong came to the Causeway Bay shopping district to shop and spend. Photo by China News Service reporter Zhang Xiangyi.

Regarding the steady growth in visitor numbers and continuously rising market activity in Hong Kong during this year's National Day holiday, Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong said in an interview with China News Service that the core driving force behind this is the "boost" from a series of diversified, high-quality festive events. The National Day fireworks display attracted nearly 380,000 people to watch on site, the International Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival was extended twice due to enthusiastic response, and events such as National Day Race Day and the MTR "Golden Ten Stations Treasure Hunt" all unleashed strong visitor-attracting effects.

Chui believes that matrix-style publicity and coordinated promotion are also important supports for Hong Kong's cultural tourism resources to shine despite being tucked away. For example, on the Hong Kong Tourism Board's social media accounts, content ranging from National Day fireworks viewing and accommodation guides, to the East Dam of High Island Reservoir and Po Pin Chau mountain-sea double-line hike, to recommendations of Hong Kong's niche hidden "check-in" spots, is all available in full; high-quality tourism experiences have also prompted many tourists to voluntarily compile and share popular Hong Kong travel guides.

The heat of cultural tourism has transmitted to the consumption end and translated into standout performance in Hong Kong's catering and retail markets. When reporters visited Kai Tak Retail Hall, Causeway Bay SOGO and other places on the 4th, they found shopping malls crowded with customers, and shops for gold, footwear and apparel, and beauty products bustling with people; many restaurants had no empty seats, with long queues of diners waiting to eat, and some popular restaurants even required waiting for more than 100 tables. On October 6, as the mainland National Day holiday approached its end, Hong Kong's streets were still full of vitality. The photo shows tourists selecting specialty goods at a gift shop in Hong Kong. Photo by China News Service reporter Li Zhihua.

Hong Kong Retail Management Association chairman Annie Tse Yau On-yee said that during the mainland National Day holiday, about 70% of retailers expected business to grow by single digits to double digits, with sectors such as eyewear, jewelry and watches, clothing, and cosmetics performing well. Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades chairman Simon Wong Ka-wo told China News Service that during the Golden Week, the catering industry's average daily turnover was about HK$250 million, an increase of more than 10% year-on-year. Wong believes that during this year's holiday, many tourists came from mainland provinces farther from Hong Kong and stayed longer in the city, creating a greater direct stimulus for catering and retail consumption. Combined with multiple favorable conditions such as a moderate recovery in mainland consumers' willingness to spend and the appreciation of the renminbi, this jointly drove visitor flow to effectively transform into incremental consumption.

Looking ahead to the market outlook, Chui said that the cultural tourism boom during this Golden Week once again confirms the transformation logic of major events driving cultural tourism and cultural tourism stimulating consumption. As events such as "Hong Kong WinterFest" and the New Year's Eve countdown approach, the industry should continue to optimize the supply of tourism products and increase online platform promotion, making Hong Kong's golden signboard as a "city of hospitality" shine even brighter.