Hong Kong's retail sales rose in January for a sixth straight month as tourist arrivals surged to a record, unemployment fell and gains in stock and property prices made residents more willing to spend.

　　Sales climbed 4.1 percent from a year earlier to HK$18.2 billion (US$2.3 billion) after rising to a revised 6.8 percent in December, the government said in a statement. That compares with the median 5 percent gain forecast in a Bloomberg News survey of five economists.