Mainland China's National Day Golden Week holiday is drawing to a close. This year, Hong Kong not only welcomed a sizable influx of visitors, but also saw encouraging changes in cultural tourism spending: incoming visitor flow no longer stops at shallow sightseeing and "check-in" photos, but is efficiently converted into consumption growth, with the food and beverage and retail sectors benefiting first and 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 visitor arrivals were recorded, up 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 seven-day total previously announced by the SAR government. 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 in visitor numbers and rising market heat 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 that the core driver behind this is the "support" of a diverse range of 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 traffic-driving effects. Chui believes that matrix-style publicity and coordinated promotion are also important boosts for Hong Kong's cultural tourism resources to be discovered despite being tucked away. For example, on the Hong Kong Tourism Board's social media accounts, content ranges from National Day fireworks viewing 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 "check-in" spots, with quality content available in full. High-quality tourism experiences have also prompted many visitors to voluntarily compile and share popular Hong Kong travel guides.

The heat of cultural tourism has transmitted to the consumption side and translated into standout performance in Hong Kong's food and beverage and retail markets. A reporter visited Kai Tak Mall, Causeway Bay SOGO and other places on the 4th and found that shopping malls were crowded with customers, and shops selling gold, footwear and apparel, and beauty products were packed with people. Many restaurants had no empty seats, with diners waiting in 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 at a gift shop in Hong Kong.

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 industries 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 food and beverage industry's average daily turnover was about HK$250 million, up more than 10% year on year. Wong believes that this holiday many tourists came from mainland provinces farther from Hong Kong and stayed longer in the city, creating a relatively large 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 to effectively transform into consumption growth.

Looking ahead, 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. With events such as "Hong Kong WinterFest" and New Year's Eve countdown activities coming soon, the industry should continue to optimize the supply of tourism products and step up promotion on online platforms, so that Hong Kong's golden signboard as the "City of Hospitality" shines even brighter.