Hong Kong’s hospitality sector experienced a 10 to 15 percent downturn during this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival compared to last year, according to Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades.
Wong, speaking on a radio program Wednesday, attributed the decline to a surge in travel, as many Hongkongers opted to spend the holiday on the mainland or abroad. The holiday weekend saw significantly more departures than arrivals in the city.
Despite the overall drop in business, Wong noted that specific festive events like the fire dragon dance and drone shows had a positive impact on dining establishments in certain districts. Nonetheless, other areas continued to see reduced foot traffic.
Conversely, hotel occupancy rates soared to 80 to 90 percent, driven by Mid-Autumn activities that attracted numerous short-term visitors, according to Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association.
During the three-day Mid-Autumn holiday on the mainland, approximately 350,000 visitors from the mainland came to Hong Kong, while over 810,000 Hong Kong residents traveled abroad, more than doubling the number of arrivals.
Looking ahead, Chui is optimistic about the upcoming National Day celebrations, suggesting that various events could draw more long-distance travelers and potentially lead to a peak in visitor numbers.
