‘Happy Hong Kong’: food fair attracts thousands, finance chief Paul Chan joins in culinary fun
- Attendees swarm booths offering freebies and gourmet food samples at steep discounts
- Finance chief Paul Chan tries his hand at making waffles, samples chia seed and rosewater drink at two-day fair
Thousands of people have flocked to a gourmet food fair under the “Happy Hong Kong” campaign, as senior officials kicked off the 10-month drive offering free festival passes and discounted film tickets aimed at boosting the economy.
Most of the attendees were elderly residents who started lining up outside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Saturday at 9am, two hours before doors opened. By 10.30am, the crowd had swollen to thousands of people.
The government hopes the promotional drive will not only encourage residents to spend more and boost growth, building on the stimulation from the latest round of consumption vouchers, but also lift their spirits after they struggled for more than three years with pandemic restrictions.
Launching the event, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the local economy had experienced “gentle gains”, despite exports falling by more than 20 per cent in January and February.
“But thanks to everyone spending locally … local retail was rejuvenated,” he said.
Chan added it was “no easy task” for the government to plan a gourmet food fair just months after it was announced in the budget in February, expressing gratitude to Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen.
The fair also coincides with the beginning of mainland China’s “golden week” extended holiday, which is expected to bring about 600,000 tourists over the border by May 5, bringing some much-needed spending power.
But Chan urged residents to “live happily” and “be healthy”, instead of just focusing solely on the state of the economy.
“If we work together, each day and year will be better than the last,” he said.
Booths at the Gourmet Marketplace offering freebies and food samples at steep discounts were the most popular among attendees. A massive line stretched from the Lok Tong Kee Hot Pot booth, overshadowing other stalls as it offered 20 abalones at HK$1 (13 US cents) each, every hour. Staff struggled to hand out tickets as older residents crowded around for a chance to get their hands on the delicacy.
Lam Foon, an elderly woman in her 80s, was ecstatic when she finally got hers, saying: “I waited almost 30 minutes. I am very happy.”
Couple Janice Yiu and John Lau, both 26, said they had decided to visit the fair out of curiosity and that it was a good alternative to their usual weekend lunch dates.
Vendors said the event was a good opportunity for cultural exchange and to uplift the spirits of residents, rather than just focusing on making a profit.
Long-standing Indian restaurant Gaylord in Tsim Sha Tsui was among the booths set up in the “International Delicacies” area.
‘Happy Hong Kong’ campaign, consumption vouchers should boost economy: city leader
“We want people to know Indian food is not just curry and rice,” said Harshil Bhasin, director of operations at Silver Oak Hospitality Group, which owns Gaylord.
“We want to highlight that we also have biryani, samosas and kathi rolls. It’s possible to have proper Indian-style street food that’s not too messy.”
Edward Lau, executive director of Ngan Lung Catering Group, said he was happy with the turnout.
“Hongkongers are all foodies, so this is really the best way to cheer them up,” he said, adding he was not concerned about profits at the fair as long as people were enjoying themselves.
Ngan Lung, which runs a chain of local cha chaan teng and bakeries, sold milk tea, home-made fish balls and fried fish skins at its booths.
Secretary Chan toured the expo, stopping at vendor booths to sample their foods. At the Hong Kong Persian Club stall, he was offered a cup of Tokhm-e Sharbati, a chia seed and rosewater drink. The finance chief also tried his hand at making egg waffles.
The Home Affairs Department said at 12pm that all free admission tickets had been distributed.
Janita Lee, a retiree, was among the people lining up outside the venue.
“I do think this event can make people happier, especially for older residents like us, it is something fun to do over the weekend,” she said.
In addition to the two-day food fair, the HK$20 million “Happy Hong Kong” campaign also includes a film day on Saturday with tickets priced at just HK$30 each.
According to the Hong Kong Theatres Association, ticket sales as of 12pm had topped the 200,000 expected by the industry. A total of 58 films were scheduled to be screened for 1,600 showings in the city’s 61 cinemas throughout the day.
At Emperor Cinemas’ Times Square branch, Sukie Yau and her husband waited to see the mystery thriller Mad Fate, which they bought tickets for online on Thursday.
Cinema-goers can enjoy new titles, re-runs with ‘Happy Hong Kong’ ticket discount
Asked whether the discount had made her happy, Yau said: “It’s better than nothing.”
A father of two, who only gave his surname as Lee, came with his sons aged eight and 14.
“My wife lined up really early in the morning for these tickets,” said Lee, who intended to watch the Super Mario Bros Movie.
Cinema ticket prices for adults on Saturday normally cost anywhere from HK$50 to more than HK$300, depending on the time of screening and venue.
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Hundreds of people queued up outside cinemas on Thursday after the ticket sale started and others struggled to buy them online as booking websites crashed.
Some successful buyers, however, put tickets up for sale online.
A check by the Post on Friday night found that most discounted tickets were sold out for major cinema chains and online marketplace Carousell showed resales of discounted ones from HK$40 to HK$100.
Chan earlier warned that the campaign might only have a small effect on the city’s gross domestic product compared with the 0.6 per cent increase expected from the HK$30 billion consumption voucher scheme.
