RTHK English
The hotel industry in Hong Kong has been given a boost over the Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays, according to Edward Leung, chairman of the Hong Kong Feast and Retreat Association. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on Tuesday, he said room rates rose by 15 to 20 percent and that many hotels reached full occupancy. Although a significant number of Hong Kong residents travelled abroad – around 2.3 million people over the past four days – Leung noted that the timing of the mainland’s three-day public holiday helped offset the loss in spending that ensued from the exodus by locals. "This year, tourists have helped fill part of the gap," he said, pointing to 570,000 arrivals over the past four days. "From April 1 to 3, primary and secondary schools in the mainland had their spring break. "Then April 4, 5 and 6 were the Qingming Festival holiday, therefore many mainland visitors came to Hong Kong for a trip from April 1 to 6, which helped fill the gap caused by our residents travelling abroad." However, the catering industry faced a more challenging holiday period, with Leung reporting a 15 to 20 percent drop in business compared to regular weekends. Restaurants in industrial areas, he said, saw revenues fall by 30 to 50 percent, while those in Central experienced a decline of around 12 percent. Despite the overall downturn, Leung said certain dining segments performed well. "Although they lost the lunch business as people weren't working, the evening business for mid-to-high-end places still did okay," he said. Restaurants charging over HK$1,000 per person saw a slight increase of a few percentage points, Leung said, while establishments targeting foreign tourists also gained, with authentic Korean restaurants – those staffed entirely by Koreans – seeing double-digit growth. "When we asked about the tourists, the restaurant owners told us that mainland tourists said there are many Korean restaurants in the mainland, but they are not served by Koreans," he said. "Here in Hong Kong, these authentic Korean restaurants have been doing very good business these past few days. So indeed, some segments have seen an increase." Looking ahead, Leung said he was optimistic that both the hotel and catering industries were about to enter a peak season. The city, he noted, is set to host the Rugby Sevens this month, followed by the Labour Day Golden Week, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. As of 10am on the final day of the long weekend, the Immigration Department reported over 175,000 inbound and outbound trips, with nearly 89,000 arrivals and more than 86,000 departures. Hong Kong residents accounted for a majority of the arrivals, exceeding 72,000, most via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. SAR residents also accounted for more than 72,000 departures, with the majority leaving through the airport. Edited by Edmond Fong
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