Octopus records HK$100 million worth of transactions by tourists over National Day break

Hong Kong e-payment service provider Octopus recorded HK$100 million (US$12.9 million) worth of transactions by tourists over the National Day “golden week” holiday from October 1 to 7, a 30 per cent increase from the same period last year.

The company on Tuesday also said the number of active users of “tourist mobile Octopus” tripled over the same period, while overall spending for that feature soared fourfold year on year.

Rita Li, Octopus’ sales and marketing director, expected the number of transactions and mobile users would continue to rise, especially with next year’s golden week breaks in May and October.

“For visitors coming to Hong Kong, Octopus remains their top choice [as a payment tool],” she said.

“We will continue to promote mobile Octopus to facilitate their payment experience. In addition to transport, we also hope to see an even higher usage of Octopus in the retail sector.”

Over mainland China’s National Day golden week break, Hong Kong residents made nearly 1.8 million trips out of the city, exceeding the 1.2 million arrivals from the north.

A breakdown of the HK$100 million showed 40 per cent was spent at food and beverage establishments in Hong Kong, with the rest of the spending split among public transport, supermarkets and convenience stores.