(Photo/CGTN)

Speaking of Hong Kong, what comes to your mind first? We asked people randomly on street, many said "Shopping!"

Yes, this is Hong Kong, where you come and spend money. You won’t be leaving without buying something.

According to Hong Kong Tourism Board, over 56 million people visited Hong Kong in 2016, and they spent 150 billion HK dollars (19.2 billion US dollars) on purchases, that's 63 percent of their total spending in Hong Kong, which reached 238 billion HK dollars (30.5 billion US dollars). That proportion once exceeded 69 percent in 2014.

Bags and shoes on display in Lane Crawford in Hong Kong (photo/CGTN)

For department stores likes Lane Crawford, cosmetics, ladies wear and jewelry are among the best sellers.

"We have a strong range of worldwide exclusive items," Vera Lo, personal styling manager of Lane Crawford told CGTN.

"Our buyers will fly regularly around the world to seek collaboration with new brands, so we have many items that you can only buy from HK."

Hong Kong has long been renowned as a shopper's paradise (photo/CGTN)

People from the Chinese mainland form the largest contingent of tourists to Hong Kong, with 42 million crossing into the region in 2016. That’s 18 times more than in 1997, when Hong Kong returned to China.

Data from Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong government shows the city’s retail value rose slightly since March 2017, after 24 months of decline.

Officials say that reflects a recovery in the rate of visitor arrivals, which had also been decreasing for the previous two years.