Retail sales continued to drop in Hong Kong in August for the sixth month in a row, as Chinese tourists sought other destinations. They fell by 5.4 percent on a year-on-year basis, including a drop of 12 percent for clothing and footwear. Total retail sales had declined by 2.9 percent in March, 2.1 percent in April, 0.1 percent in May, 0.4 percent in June and 2.9 percent (revised) in July. The number of visitors from Mainland China was off by 7.1 percent in August. Local reports indicate that the Chinese Golden Week was off to a slow start in the former British colony last Friday.