Industry representatives have said that local businesses saw a drop in trade over the long Easter weekend, as Hongkongers made almost 1.76 million outbound trips – four times the number of inbound visitor figures.
According to Immigration Department data, Hong Kong residents made almost 1.76 million outbound trips from Friday to Monday, while mainland and other visitors made 400,369 inbound trips to Hong Kong in the same timeframe.
The department logged 700,808 departures by Hong Kong residents on Friday, 453,946 on Saturday, 358,300 on Sunday, and 246,369 on Monday. Hong Kong resident arrivals also picked up throughout the weekend as they returned from the holidays, with 527,673 arrivals recorded on Monday.
Hong Kong has been fighting an uphill battle to revive its tourism sector since the government lifted stringent, years-long Covid restrictions last February. The number of visitors has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, while tourism-related sectors have said recovery had been stalled by a shortage of manpower.
President of the Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, Simon Wong, told an RTHK programme on Monday that restaurants saw a significant drop in business over Easter – with nighttime business falling by more than 40 percent.
He also estimated that 200 to 300 restaurants had to close in the past month, adding that he believed the industry would see continued closures.
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“This has rung alarm bells for the restaurant industry,” he said. “In the short term, our confidence in the industry has faltered quite a bit, with northbound consumption becoming a trend,” Wong added, referring to Hongkongers’ travelling to mainland China.
Wong said that while mega-events could draw business to restaurants, the only establishments that could benefit from were venues near the events such as the West Kowloon Arts District, Tsim Sha Tsui, or other harbourfront areas.
Wong added said the residents who left Hong Kong during the Easter holiday had higher spending power compared to those who remained in the city, and that high-end restaurants were the most affected by the outbound tourism wave.
Executive director at EGL Tours Steve Huen, also speaking to RTHK, said the travel agency saw an increase in bookings for trips to Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
Bookings for mainland China trips saw the most significant increase, Huen said, rising by 300 per cent. “We saw many three-to four-day tours to the Greater Bay Area,” he said, adding that there was also an increase in trips to destinations such as Wuhan and Beijing.
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