Night Vibes campaign on right track, says Simon Wong

Simon Wong Kit-lung, Chairman of the Quality Tourism Services Association, who had previously urged authorities to issue night market consumption vouchers, told a radio program on Friday that the Night Vibes Hong Kong Campaign is on the right track to bring life back to the city.

His comments came after the government announced a series of events for the Night Vibes Hong Kong Campaign, which aims to showcase numerous sectors of the community participating in night-time activities with local characteristics across the city.

“If the administration believes that investing too many resources at this time is not suitable, I will still support it,” Wong said.

He described the new measures as "using a small knife to cut down a big tree," and he urged all sectors of society to work together towards the goal of reviving the city’s night economy.

He was also confident that the administration would allocate funding to businesses when it sees fit.

“This campaign is in the right direction…rather than converting Hong Kong into a night market or establishing another walking street, a successful campaign aims to bring colour back to busy areas like Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui.

“Even if the night market is busy, it won't be a real success if Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui are still lifeless... The plan is on the right track because it will benefit existing businesses," said Wong.

Meanwhile, Wong said that whether the current measures are adequate will depend on the actual circumstances after the campaign goes full steam, but he believes that they will not worsen the existing situation.

He also noted that when society returned to normal at the beginning of the year, businesses recovered swiftly and many merchants were short of staff. He also said that many firms are still taking a wait-and-see attitude and may not hire foreign labor at this time.

“After the government implements measures to boost the night-time economy, retailers will naturally recruit more people if they are optimistic about the future,” Wong said.