Browsers outnumber buyers at Hong Kong Book Fair as sales fall

Several booksellers told the South China Morning Post that shifting consumer habits and unstable weather during the seven-day event had dampened business.

Sally Ng Wai-shan, an editor at Match Media, said that foot traffic had fallen further from last year’s already subdued levels.

She estimated that overall sales could drop by 30 to 40 per cent, although books on fortune-telling and other supernatural topics continued to sell relatively well.

“The book fair used to be packed with crowds pulling suitcases,” Ng said, recalling her past visits as a regular attendee.

An SCMP reporter observed that most visitors were empty-handed, with only a handful pushing trolleys or suitcases – once a common sight at the fair.