Official data released on 1 December show Hong Kong’s October retail sales rising 6.9 % year-on-year to HK$35.2 billion, the sixth consecutive monthly increase, as cross-border arrivals reached 4.59 million—75 % of them from mainland China . Sales of jewellery, watches and luxury gifts grew nearly 10 %, while the long-sluggish apparel segment eked out a gain for the first time in months.
The rebound tracks the May 2025 expansion of Hong Kong’s short-term visa-free scheme for professionals and the full reopening of high-speed rail and coach services. MICE organisers report that fintech and art-auction delegates are extending stays for leisure shopping, boosting weekday footfall in flagship malls.
![Mainland visitor surge lifts Hong Kong retail sales 6.9 %, underscoring border-reopening dividend]()
For employers relocating staff through Hong Kong, the figures confirm that housing allowances and cost-of-living packages may need revising upward. Retail landlords, meanwhile, are accelerating fit-outs aimed at mainland millennials, including digital payments compatible with China’s UnionPay and Alipay-HK wallets.
Tourism officials expect November–December visitor totals to climb further, helped by seasonal events such as WinterFest and the Rugby Sevens. However, analysts caution that any prolonged diplomatic tension with Japan or macro-economic slowdown on the mainland could temper spending momentum.
The rebound tracks the May 2025 expansion of Hong Kong’s short-term visa-free scheme for professionals and the full reopening of high-speed rail and coach services. MICE organisers report that fintech and art-auction delegates are extending stays for leisure shopping, boosting weekday footfall in flagship malls.
For employers relocating staff through Hong Kong, the figures confirm that housing allowances and cost-of-living packages may need revising upward. Retail landlords, meanwhile, are accelerating fit-outs aimed at mainland millennials, including digital payments compatible with China’s UnionPay and Alipay-HK wallets.
Tourism officials expect November–December visitor totals to climb further, helped by seasonal events such as WinterFest and the Rugby Sevens. However, analysts caution that any prolonged diplomatic tension with Japan or macro-economic slowdown on the mainland could temper spending momentum.
