Hong Kong catering industry ‘suffers 11% drop in business’ on Christmas Eve, as residents head to mainland China and overseas for festive break
- Hong Kong catering chief says estimated turnover for industry on Christmas Eve was HK$380 million, lower than last year’s tally of HK$430 million
- Tourism association predicts one-third of residents are heading to mainland, with some taking advantage of cheaper services, and overseas for holidays,
Hong Kong’s catering industry suffered a more than 10 per cent drop in business on Christmas Eve, a sector leader said, as a tourism association estimated that one-third of city residents had opted to spend the festive break in mainland China or overseas.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, the president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, on Monday said the estimated turnover in the sector on Sunday was HK$380 million (US$48.6 million), 11 per cent lower than the HK$430 million recorded last year.
He also predicted a similar turnover for Christmas Day.
“The drop is quite obvious,” he told a radio programme. “On Christmas Eve, many people travelled to the mainland or overseas. Residents are also enjoying a long Christmas weekend.”
Wong added that hotel restaurants in the past had been fully booked for Christmas Eve two to three weeks in advance, but some were welcoming walk-in customers this year.
Immigration figures showed Hong Kong had processed more than 2.8 million inbound and outbound trips between Friday and Sunday, resulting in a net outflow of more than 633,000 journeys.
Hong Kong processed more than 1 million inbound and outbound journeys on Christmas Eve, a net outflow of more than 219,000 trips.
Hong Kong shopping malls shun one-size-fits-all strategy over Christmas holiday
A breakdown of the figures showed Hongkongers made more than 458,000 outbound trips on Sunday, about 44,500 of which involved the city’s airport and 102,800 were logged at the Lo Wu border crossing.
The city had handled more than 446,000 departures and over 394,700 inbound trips by 9pm on Christmas Day.
Wong added that many of those who had stayed in Hong Kong for the break had a relatively weaker spending power compared with those who had gone overseas.
The industry was also contending with fewer mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong for Christmas, even as more from the city headed over the border, he said.
Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong estimated on the same show that about one-third of residents had decided to travel over the Christmas holiday.
Hong Kong has a population of about 7.5 million people.
Hongkongers revel in Christmas Eve pyrotechnics show to beat the chill
Chui also highlighted the popularity of nearby mainland cities, such as those in Guangdong and Guizhou provinces, and said the number of people who had signed up for short trips had exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
“The tour fee has gone up a bit compared with pre-pandemic levels,” he added. “The cost on the mainland and in Hong Kong has gone up, but mainland trips still have a high value for money.”
Chui said a three-day trip to the northern edges of Guangdong and Hunan provinces to enjoy the snow could cost about HK$1,000, but that regional hotspots such as Taipei and Tokyo were more expensive, especially with airfare costs.
He also stressed that Christmas was not a public holiday across the border and some mainland Chinese might come to Hong Kong for shorter trips to take in the festive atmosphere.
