Mr Tung said the council had received only three minor complaints, one of which was about the attitude of a bus driver and the other two about the availability of rooms. The complaints were quickly resolved, he said.

'It's a lot better than last year. After the CCTV incident, complaints have declined gradually since June,' he said, referring to an investigative report by China Central Television on how mainland tourists were misled into buying fake jewellery and watches in Hong Kong.

Mr Tung said the number of visitors under the solo-travel scheme had increased while that of group tours had remained about the same as last year.

'They feel that it's worth coming. And since it's the 'golden week', with children off school, it's ideal for families to travel to Hong Kong,' he said.

The Tourism Board also said it had not received any specific feedback while the Consumer Council had not received any complaints from mainland visitors so far.

Germaine Lui Shuk-man, marketing and promotions manager of The Link Management, which operates several shopping malls, said sales had increased by about 10 per cent according to the information provided by tenants.

'They are mostly restaurants, gold and jewellery stores, and pharmacies,' she said.

Central Kowloon regional manager of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery, Patrick Lui Yick-keung, said sales had risen more than 20 per cent during the holiday week compared with last year, mainly because of mainland tourists.

'They bought more expensive goods this year, perhaps it's because the mainland's economy improved,' he said.

Mr Lui said there were a number of big spenders, including one who spent almost HK$400,000 in one day. 'We also had one customer who bought a HK$300,000 watch and another who bought HK$70,000 of wedding jewellery,' he said.

Although the high price of gold and a stronger euro made luxury goods more expensive, it had not deterred mainland shoppers.

'Mainland tourists like to buy new products in different styles, and they are here to buy. The number of customers is about the same as last year but they are spending more.'

Mr Lui added that most tourists used China Union Pay for their purchases and carried little cash, for security reasons.

One tourist, a Ms Liu from Harbin , said she was pleased with her shopping trip. 'I spent a lot of money and bought a lot of things,' she said.

Asked if she had spent more HK$100,000, she said: 'More than that.' She said she bought some luxury goods but most of her money was spent on clothes.