Hong Kong catering industry ‘suffers 11% drop in business’ on Christmas Eve

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 residents were spending the festive break in mainland China or overseas.

Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades president Simon Wong Ka-wo on Monday said the estimated turnover for eateries on Sunday was HK$380 million (US$48.6 million), 11 per cent lower than the HK$430 million recorded the year before.

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.”

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Wong added that restaurants at hotels in past years had been fully booked two to three weeks ahead of Christmas Eve, but some places this time around were welcoming walk-in customers.

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.

On Christmas Eve, Hong Kong processed more than 1 million inbound and outbound journeys, resulting in a net outflow of over 219,000 trips.

A breakdown of the data 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.

As of 10am on Christmas, the city had handled more than 102,900 departures and over 41,700 inbound trips.

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Association president Wong added that many of those staying in Hong Kong for the break had a relatively weaker spending power compared with those heading overseas.

The industry was also contending with fewer mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong for Christmas, even as more local residents headed over the border, he said.

Appearing on the same radio show, Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong estimated 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.

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Chui also pointed to the popularity of nearby mainland cities, such as those in Guangdong and Guizhou provinces, and noted the number of people signing up for short trips had exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

“The tour fee has gone up a bit compared to pre-pandemic levels,” he said. “The cost in mainland and Hong Kong has gone up but mainland trips still have a high value for money.”

The tourism industry leader said a three-day trip to the northern edges of Guangdong and Hunan provinces to enjoy the snow could cost about HK$1,000, while regional hotspots such as Taipei and Tokyo were more expensive, especially with the airfares.

Chui also stressed that Christmas was not a public holiday across the border and some mainlanders might instead come to Hong Kong for shorter trips to take in the festive atmosphere.