Mainland China's National Day Golden Week holiday is drawing to a close. This year, Hong Kong not only welcomed a sizable wave of visitors, but also saw encouraging changes in cultural tourism spending: arriving visitors no longer stopped at superficial sightseeing and photo-taking, but efficiently converted their presence into incremental consumption, with the food and beverage and retail sectors among the first to benefit, injecting strong momentum into Hong Kong's economic development.

Hong Kong SAR 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. Statistics from the Hong Kong SAR Immigration Department show that 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.

Regarding the steady growth of visitor numbers and rising market heat in Hong Kong during this year's National Day holiday, Choi Ding-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, said in an interview that the core driving force behind this was the support of 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 activities such as National Day race day and the MTR "Golden Ten Stations Treasure Hunt" all released a strong visitor-pulling effect.

Choi Ding-pong believes that matrix publicity and coordinated promotion were also important factors helping Hong Kong's cultural tourism resources stand out. For example, on the Hong Kong Tourism Board's social media accounts, content ranging from National Day fireworks dining and accommodation guides, to the High Island Reservoir East Dam and Po Pin Chau mountain-and-sea dual-line hike, to recommendations for Hong Kong's lesser-known hidden treasure photo spots, was all available in high quality; the high-quality tourism experience also prompted many visitors to voluntarily compile and share popular Hong Kong travel guides.

The heat of cultural tourism was transmitted to the consumption side and turned into standout performance in Hong Kong's food and beverage and retail markets. When reporters visited Kai Tak Mall, Causeway Bay SOGO and other places on the 4th, they found shopping malls crowded with customers, with gold, footwear and apparel, and beauty shops packed with people; many restaurants had no empty seats, diners waiting to eat formed long queues, and some popular restaurants even required waiting for more than 100 tables. On October 6, as the mainland National Day holiday neared its end, Hong Kong's streets were still bustling. The photo shows tourists selecting specialty goods in a Hong Kong gift shop.

Annie Tse Yau On-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said that during the mainland National Day holiday, about 70% of retailers expected business to grow by single digits to double digits, with eyewear, jewellery and watches, clothing, and cosmetics industries performing well. Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, told reporters that during the Golden Week, the food and beverage industry's average daily turnover was about HK$250 million, up more than 10% year on year. Wong Ka-wo believes that this year many visitors came from mainland provinces farther from Hong Kong and stayed longer in the city, creating a greater direct stimulus for food, beverage, 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 pushed visitor flow into real incremental consumption.

Looking ahead, Choi Ding-pong said that the cultural tourism boom during this Golden Week once again confirmed the conversion logic of major events driving cultural tourism and cultural tourism stimulating consumption. With events such as the "Hong Kong WinterFest" and New Year's Eve countdown coming soon, the industry should continue to optimize the supply of tourism products and step up promotion on online platforms, making Hong Kong's "City of Hospitality" golden signboard shine even brighter.