Hongkongers flock to malls, restaurants as second batch of government e-vouchers lands
- Some shoppers say the vouchers convinced them to loosen their purse strings and splash out on pricey goods
- The government scheme is aimed at boosting consumer spending to accelerate the city’s economic recovery amid the coronavirus pandemic
Hong Kong residents flocked to restaurants and shopping centres on Friday to celebrate the arrival of the second batch of government consumption vouchers.
Consumers were seen happily presenting the digital vouchers to snap up items such as jewellery, smartphones and electrical appliances, with malls drawing in crowds not only for shopping sprees, but also for meals out with family and friends.
Many shoppers told the Post that the HK$36 billion government initiative – under which residents were entitled to HK$5,000 in vouchers on the digital payment platform of their choice – had convinced them to loosen their purse strings and spend even more, part of the scheme’s stated aim.
One such shopper was toy company owner Andy Fung, 50, who splashed out more than HK$134,000 at a Chow Tai Fook in Kwun Tong for a gold bridal necklace weighing more than six taels. He used the HK$3,000 worth of digital vouchers he received on Friday to offset the cost.
“Since I planned to buy a gold necklace as a future wedding gift for my one-year-old daughter, I decided to buy it today, as it just so happened that the second round of the e-voucher scheme was kicking off,” he said. “When she is 18, I will present this gift to her.”