HONG KONG - Hong Kong's retail sales fell 23.1% in July from a year earlier, hammered by the coronavirus outbreak which has kept tourists away and pushed many retailers and restaurants to the brink of collapse.

Sales dropped to HK$26.5 billion ($3.42 billion), government data showed on Tuesday, the 18th consecutive month of decline. The drop compares with a revised 24.7% decline in June.

In volume terms, retail sales in July fell 23.9%, compared with a revised drop of 25.3% in the previous month.

Sporadic anti-government protests, at a much smaller scale than demonstrations that rocked the global financial hub last year, also weighed on the retail sector, forcing some shops to close temporarily.

($1 = 7.7500 Hong Kong dollars)

(Reporting by Donny Kwok and Twinnie Siu; Editing by Andrew Heavens) ((donny.kwok@thomsonreuters.com; +852 2843 6470; Reuters Messaging: donny.kwok.reuters.com@reuters.net))