He said figures for those heading to Europe and Southeast Asia had doubled compared with the holiday period last year, while trips to popular destination Japan had only climbed by about 10 per cent because of the already high base number from 2023.

Immigration Department data showed that from Friday to Sunday, the city recorded a combined 1.51 million outbound trips made by residents – 700,808 on Friday, 453,946 on Saturday and 358,300 on Sunday.

The total was nearly five times the number of inbound trips made by mainlanders and other visitors over the period, which stood at 330,248. The city logged 101,052 trips on Friday from such visitors, 136,051 on Saturday and 93,145 on Sunday.

The number of arrivals in the first three days of Easter break this year dropped 35 per cent compared with 2018, before anti-government protests rocked the city and the pandemic wrought havoc on global travel. Outbound trips by residents rose 16 per cent this year against 2018 levels.

Among those leaving the city over the weekend, 76 per cent used land crossings to the mainland such as Lo Wu, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and the high-speed rail link, according to immigration data.

‘Miserable’: Hong Kong restaurants lament drop in business over Easter holiday

Residents began returning to the city on Monday with the four-day break coming to an end. As of 9pm, more than 490,000 people, including about 426,000 residents, entered via various border control points including the airport, land crossings and ferry terminals.

Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said high-end eateries had suffered the most, which he attributed to wealthier diners opting to go on trips outside the city.

“If we are comparing it with figures from last Easter, our business dropped more than 30 per cent,” he said. “In particular, there is a 40 per cent decline in nighttime business when compared with [non-public holiday periods].”

Wong said that while hosting mega events was helpful and could draw some visitors to the city, the only restaurants likely to benefit were those close to venues in West Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Admiralty or the harbourfront areas near the contemporary art fairs Art Basel or Art Central.

Hong Kong malls offer free parking as 541,000 people leave city for Easter break

Silas Li, executive chef of the upmarket Happy Valley restaurant Hong Kong Cuisine 1983, described business over the Easter break as “quiet”, noting it was down by about 30 per cent from last year.

Business was worse than during the Covid-19 pandemic, as people had little else to do amid health restrictions and stayed in the city, he added.

But Li said he was not overly concerned since he could still make HK$4,000 to HK$5,000 per person from his mainly corporate patrons.

Banker-turned-chef Tiffany Lo, who owns French bistro Jean May in Wan Chai, said business was down 40 to 50 per cent compared with last Easter.

It had been quiet for a long time and industry colleagues were experiencing the same situation, Lo said, adding that she was “very, very worried”.

“Our business has been quite terrible. It took an even worse turn after Lunar New Year. We’ve seen the worst business volume since we opened [in August 2020] this Lunar New Year,” Lo said.

“It’s not just in the business volume, but also the number of guests and spending per head have dropped. In the past, it was about HK$800 to HK$1,000 per person, now it’s just over HK$500, the minimum charge for dinner.”

Lo said people on the supply chain side, from suppliers to delivery staff, were all feeling the effects. “Nobody really knows what’s going to happen,” she added.

Meanwhile, Wong said the Macau government was facing similar challenges with residents there heading to the mainland in droves, but had left no stone unturned in its efforts to lure visitors from across the border.

“It’s very convenient whether it’s parking or public transport in Macau. Special deals have also been given to tourists in Macau, such as concert tickets,” Wong said.

“In this regard, Hong Kong businesses seem to be fighting a lone battle.”

He said Hong Kong’s food and beverage, retail, and tourism sectors should design travel packages with Macau in the future to help revive business activity.

Unsure how to spend your Easter public holiday? Hong Kong offers events galore

Retail-sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai said the industry faced challenges as residents had made a significant number of outbound trips, while mainlanders, the city’s key segment for arrivals, did not get a public holiday at Easter.

He also said the government should try to entice more mainland travellers to the city.

“It has become the norm for Hongkongers to spend their holidays on the mainland, while the local population will not surge in a year. But the number of tourists heading to the city can change,” Shiu said.

He suggested bringing back a multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents and issuing a once-a-week permit for those living in the rest of the Greater Bay Area, which comprises Hong Kong, Macau and eight other mainland cities.