'Restaurants Lose Business As HKers Travel Abroad'

A catering sector representative said on Monday that restaurants have seen a 15 percent slump in trade over the Easter holiday, when compared to just before the break.

The head of the Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, Simon Wong, said that’s because many Hongkongers have travelled abroad over the long weekend.

He added that poor consumer sentiment is also to blame.

"I have talked to several restaurant owners and operators, and they told me that their business had dropped by at least 30 percent in the evening, especially for the Chinese restaurants," Wong told RTHK.

But he pointed out that a new round of consumption vouchers, to be distributed on Sunday, should provide some help.

"This will be a boost to the economy, especially for the catering and retail business, and I expect that we will get about 25 or at least 20 percent of the share."

Wong also noted that the number of mainland visitors coming to Hong Kong is still substantially lower than pre-Covid levels, and the city needs to do more to attract overseas tourists.