China News Service, Hong Kong, October 7 (Reporter Qiu Zhaoxiang) The National Day Golden Week holiday in mainland China is coming to an end. Not only did Hong Kong welcome a sizable influx of tourists during this holiday season, cultural and tourism consumption also showed gratifying changes: the flow of visitors no longer stopped at superficial sightseeing "check-ins", but was efficiently transformed into increased consumption. The catering and retail sectors were the first to benefit, injecting strong impetus into Hong Kong's economic development.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po of the Hong Kong SAR government previously stated that more than 732,000 mainland tourists visited Hong Kong in the first three days of Golden Week, a year-on-year increase of approximately 8.4%. Statistics from the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government show that there were approximately 1.3 million mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong in the six days before the National Day holiday, which has exceeded the seven-day expected total previously announced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
Regarding the steady growth of Hong Kong tourists during this year's National Day holiday and the continued rise in market popularity, Cui Dingbang, director-general of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, analyzed in an interview with a reporter from China News Service that the core driving force behind it is the "blessing" of a number of diversified high-quality festivals. The National Day Fireworks Display attracted nearly 380,000 people to watch the event. The International Mid-Autumn Lantern Display was postponed twice due to the overwhelming response. National Day Horse Racing Day, the MTR "Golden Ten Stations Treasure Hunt" and other activities all released a strong diversion effect.
Cui Dingbang believes that matrix publicity and joint promotion are also important contributors to Hong Kong’s cultural and tourism resources. For example, the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s social platform account has a wide range of high-quality content, ranging from food and accommodation guides for National Day fireworks viewing, to East Dam and Po Bien Chau mountain and sea tours at High Yi Reservoir, to recommendations for Hong Kong’s niche treasure “check-in” places. The high-quality travel experience has prompted many tourists to spontaneously organize and share popular Hong Kong travel guides.
The popularity of cultural tourism has been transmitted to the consumer side, transforming into outstanding performance in Hong Kong's catering and retail markets. The reporter visited Kai Tak Retail Center, Causeway Bay SOGO and other places on the 4th and found that shopping malls were crowded with customers, and gold, shoes, clothing, and beauty shops were crowded; many restaurants were packed with people waiting to dine in long queues, and some popular restaurants even had to wait for more than 100 tables.
Tse Chiu On-yee, chairman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said that during the National Day holiday in the mainland, about 70% of retailers expect business to grow in single digits to double digits, with industries such as glasses, jewelry and watches, clothing, and cosmetics performing well. Huang Jiahe, president of the Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, told China News Service that the average daily turnover of the catering industry during the Golden Week was approximately HK$250 million, a year-on-year increase of more than 10%.
Wong Jia-woo believes that this year's holidays will see many tourists coming from mainland provinces far away from Hong Kong and staying in Hong Kong for a longer period of time, which will directly stimulate catering retail consumption. Combined with multiple favorable conditions such as a mild recovery in mainland consumers' willingness to spend and appreciation of the renminbi, they will jointly promote the conversion of passenger flow into increased consumption.
Looking forward to the market outlook, Cui Dingbang said that the cultural tourism boom during this Golden Week has once again confirmed the transformation logic of grand events driving cultural tourism and cultural tourism stimulating consumption. With the "Hong Kong Colorful Winter Parade" and the New Year's Eve countdown coming soon, the industry should continue to optimize the supply of tourism products and increase online platform promotions to make Hong Kong's "hospitable city" even brighter.
