Local spending fuels Golden Week retail rebound in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s National Day Golden Week concluded with a retail rebound, supported by residents opting for local holidays over overseas travel.

The eight-day holiday recorded more than 1.62 million visitor arrivals, including 1.4 million mainland tourists — a year-on-year increase of 6 percent, according to official figures.

Retail activity remained steady as fewer Hongkongers traveled abroad compared to the Labour Day holiday in May. Hong Kong Retail Management Association chairwoman Annie Tse Yau On-yee said local consumption had become the main growth driver during the period.

Major shopping districts such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, and Causeway Bay maintained strong foot traffic. Jewellery and cosmetics performed best, posting low double-digit sales growth largely driven by increased local spending.

While visitor arrivals grew, their spending patterns continued to shift toward “in-depth” travel experiences, with lower per-transaction values. Some sectors — including electronics — benefited from new product launches, while convenience stores recorded single-digit growth in foot traffic.

Tourism also showed encouraging signs. Tourism sector lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung reported double-digit visitor growth, noting that hotel occupancy exceeded 90 percent and industry revenue rose more than 10 percent, with about 60 percent of group tours staying overnight.

Yiu said Hong Kong’s “+Tourism” strategy was successfully repositioning the city from a shopping hub to a diversified destination focused on experience-driven travel.

He suggested strengthening transport links between attractions and commercial districts to further enhance the visitor experience.

Travel Industry Council chairman Tommy Tam Kwong-shun also expressed optimism, saying around 1,300 mainland tour groups visited Hong Kong during the holiday, with 60 percent including overnight stays.

He added that the industry remains confident about continued tourism momentum ahead of upcoming major events, including the National Games and Christmas celebrations.