HONG KONG – A diverse array of activities was rolled out in the city on Monday to celebrate the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to the motherland, injecting fresh momentum into the local tourism and retail sectors.

The supportive measures recently introduced by the central government are expected to give a further boost to the sectors, industry insiders said.  

The M+ museum had welcomed more than 24,600 visitors on Monday, while the Hong Kong Palace Museum admitted about 6,400 guests, with the 4,000 free tickets that were available for the latter having been booked well in advance.

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The Hong Kong Jockey Club also held races to celebrate the anniversary, attracting nearly 20,000 spectators, including around 4,600 Chinese mainland visitors.

The tourism and related sectors are still facing challenges due to the changed consumption patterns of visitors and residents as well the strong Hong Kong dollar despite the stimulus generated by the holidays and celebratory events

In another move, the duty-free shopping quota for mainland visitors to the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions was on Monday raised from 5,000 yuan ($688) to 12,000 yuan, or to 15,000 yuan for passengers traveling through six of the land ports, with the additional 3,000 yuan accounted for in goods that are purchased at the duty-free stores at border crossings.

Lam Wai-man, chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy, said that local pharmacies have benefitted from the increase to the duty-free shopping allowance, which has helped make up for business lost due to the outbound travel of Hong Kong people.

The measure will provide a much-needed boost to the city’s retail sector, said Annie Yau Tse On-yee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, who added that stores will be encouraged to offer more goods priced below 12,000 yuan.

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In addition, more than 2,000 restaurants offered various promotions on Monday, with some providing 29 percent discounts on dine-in services.

Although the performance of restaurants varied across different districts — tourist areas saw better results — Leung Chun-wah, chairman of the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, said the industry will roll out similar promotions on Oct 1, the National Day, as the seven-day holiday on the mainland is expected to bring more visitors to Hong Kong.

HK’s total retail sales in May was HK$30.5 billion, an 11.5 percent decrease year-on-year, data showed on Tuesday

From Saturday to Monday, Hong Kong ports ushered through around 1.7 million inbound visitors.

Despite the stimulus generated by the holidays and celebratory events, Hong Kong’s tourism and related sectors are still facing challenges due to the changed consumption patterns of visitors and residents as well the strong Hong Kong dollar.

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According to official data released on Tuesday, the city’s total retail sales in May was HK$30.5 billion ($3.9 billion), an 11.5 percent decrease year-on-year.

But a government spokesperson said he remains positive about the prospects for the retail sector over the long run, adding that the central government’s recently announced measures and the efforts of the SAR government should help boost retail businesses.

Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com