Hong Kong restaurants struggle as residents travel and mainland Chinese tourists stay home for Easter weekend
- Catering industry will experience a 20 per cent drop in business between Friday and Monday compared with pre-Covid levels, federation boss says
- As of 9pm on Friday, 433,865 people had departed Hong Kong, while 232,156 entered
Various outlets said business was lacklustre compared with pre-pandemic levels, although popular tourist spots, visited by the Post on Friday, were still frequented by locals and visitors.
More than 727,000 people left the city on Wednesday and Thursday, significantly outnumbering the over 520,000 who arrived over the same period, according to the Immigration Department. As of 9pm on Friday, 433,865 people had departed Hong Kong, while 232,156 entered.
“It has been quiet these two days with a lack of shoppers or diners around, especially at night. Some restaurants even told me that they suffered a 30 per cent drop in business,” Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades president Simon Wong Ka-wo said.
He estimated that the catering industry would experience a 20 per cent drop in business between Friday and Monday compared with pre-Covid levels.
David Leung Chi-wai, chairman of Seafood Delight Group, which has 17 Chinese restaurants at housing estates, said Friday was bad for business with the group’s Aberdeen outlet only reaching one-third of its capacity.
“All the diners have travelled overseas or to the mainland, while this is not the season for mainlanders to travel to Hong Kong,” he said, estimating business would drop by 20 per cent during this long holiday compared with pre-pandemic levels.