Shoppers turn out for Hong Kong’s first Lunar New Year flower market since border reopening but no budding sales mood among vendors

Hundreds of shoppers on Monday flocked to Hong Kong’s largest seasonal flower market, the first since the border with mainland China reopened, but vendors said they were pessimistic regarding sales amid a period of weak economic outlook.

Visitors turned out for the first day of the week-long Lunar New Year Fair at Victoria Park despite the chilly weather, including mainland arrivals who came to the city after the resumption of quarantine-free travel last week.

“I just came here after the mainland-Hong Kong border was reopened. My husband is obsessed with the Lunar New Year flower market here, so I came with him this year,” said Shu Xin, 41, a Shenzhen-based financial officer.

The trip to Hong Kong was also a day of firsts for Shu, since she had never visited the fair before and was also celebrating the holiday in Hong Kong with her husband and child for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began in January 2020.

“I usually spend 2,000 to 5,000 yuan (HK$2,300 to HK$5,800) in Shenzhen on flowers over Lunar New Year, but we decided to spend only 1,000 to 2,000 yuan this year because our home in Hong Kong is smaller,” she said.

Lunar New Year fairs are being held at 15 locations across the city and under pandemic restrictions only wet goods stalls for vendors to sell flowers have been permitted for the fourth year in a row.

Stalls offered a range of flowers that traditionally signify good fortune including chrysanthemums, daffodils, lilies and nipple fruit, as well as items more popular with the younger crowd, such as starflowers and tulips.

But vendors at Victoria Park, who outbid competitors to set up stalls there, expressed a less-than-optimistic outlook over sales.