Hong Kong businesses suffer as nearly 860,000 residents leave over Easter holiday
- Catering sector still clawing way back to pre-pandemic levels, with mainland Chinese customers not playing big role over long weekend
- In first three days of Easter break, 858,011 residents headed either across border or overseas, while 245,487 visitors arrived, 77 per cent of whom were from mainland
Hong Kong’s catering sector and many retailers reported sluggish business over the Easter holiday, as official figures showed nearly 860,000 residents left the city and only 245,000 visitors arrived during the first three days of the long weekend.
Industry leaders on Monday said the outflow of people, equal to nearly 12 per cent of the city’s 7.3 million population, had left operators struggling with as much as a 20 per cent drop in business, while only certain types of shops benefited from the return of tourists.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, estimated that daily revenue in the sector over the Easter weekend fell to between HK$230 million (US$29.3 million) and HK$250 million, down from HK$400 million during the peak season and up to HK$300 million on normal days in the past.
“The decline is actually obvious. After the relaxation of pandemic restrictions [in December], business has actually recovered by 80 to 90 per cent,” he said. “But comparing levels in the past two months, there has been a 15 to 20 per cent decline. The impact is quite large.
“Even during the peak travel season, there may only be an additional 20 to 30 per cent increase in mainland visitors, which is still not enough to reach pre-pandemic levels.”
In the first three days of the Easter break starting on Friday, 858,011 residents headed either across the border or overseas, while 245,487 visitors arrived in the city, 77 per cent of whom were from mainland China, according to immigration statistics reviewed by the Post. Some 56,392 were tourists from other countries or Taiwan.
