Eric Ma: 87,700 mainland visitors visited Hong Kong during the first four days of the Golden Week, and the local retail industry is gradually stabilizing.

Mainland China's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival this year enjoy a consecutive 8-day long holiday. Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his blog that during the first four days of the Golden Week, the number of Mainland visitors to Hong Kong reached 877,000, an increase of over 7% from last year, while the number of overseas tourists was around 126,000, a year-on-year increase of over 30%. Paul Chan Mo-po mentioned that the provisional total retail sales value in August reached HK$30.3 billion, the largest increase in 20 months, indicating that the local retail sector is gradually stabilizing. 80% of the surveyed industry sectors also expect an increase in business during the upcoming Golden Week, with some even predicting a double-digit growth. Looking ahead to the rest of the year, Paul Chan Mo-po stated that various significant events will continue to support the market, and the government will strengthen collaboration and synergy between different activities to maximize the economic benefits of these events. He also announced that a new batch of key enterprises will hold signing ceremonies this week, welcoming over a dozen key enterprises to set up in Hong Kong or expand their operations. This includes three of the world's top ten pharmaceutical companies and, for the first time, cultural and creative enterprises combined with innovation and technology. This move aligns with the development direction proposed in this year's budget, and with the addition of these new enterprises, the total number of key enterprises facilitated to set up in Hong Kong will surpass 100.