The 22nd Hong Kong Food Festival begins today

The 22nd Hong Kong Food Festival began on Wednesday morning, with stall owners pushing out various deals to attract customers.

The 22nd Hong Kong Food Festival commenced today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and will continue until December 29 (Sun). This year, the festival is being held concurrently with the 22nd Hong Kong Mega Showcase, featuring nearly 1,000 stalls that display a diverse range of exhibitions.

Despite a slower start this morning, with fewer attendees than expected, stall owners remain optimistic. One vendor, specializing in frozen seafood, voiced concerns about low sales potentially impacting their ability to cover costs. In response, they have broadened their product range to include items like meatballs and have reduced prices to attract more customers.

Many stalls are offering samples for attendees to taste and are promoting special deals to encourage spending. A first-time participant selling dace products has introduced promotional items such as HK$1 fish noodles. According to this stall owner, the foot traffic has been better than anticipated, and they are hopeful that customer turnout will increase as the festival progresses, aiding them in recovering their initial costs.

A stall owner specializing in products from South Korea mentioned that he is selling popular fruit milk and aims to target a younger customer base. He noted that the customer flow in the morning was relatively fine and has decreased their prices by 20 percent in hopes of attracting more patrons as the event continues.

A citizen who has attended the festival for multiple years noted that this year's crowd was smaller than in previous years, making it more comfortable to walk around. He expressed concern that many people were choosing to spend their money on the mainland and decided to stay in Hong Kong to support local businesses by attending the food festival, where he enjoyed items like abalone and dried fruits.

Another attendee, who had been at the festival for about an hour, reported spending over HK$1,000 on items such as tea leaves and dumplings. However, they felt that the overall prices were higher compared to previous years and that the deals were not as attractive, leading them to be more cautious with their purchases.

Stall owners remain hopeful for a successful event and have suggested that the organizers could increase promotion and perhaps offer free entrance to attract more locals and tourists to the festival.

In addition to exploring Hong Kong, international tourists can take a short ferry ride to the vibrant city of Macao. For a limited time until December 31, the Macao Government Tourism Office is offering complimentary one-way tickets for direct ferry services from Hong Kong to Macao. A seamless and complimentary bus journey from Hong Kong International Airport to the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is available as well. Kindly note that the tickets are limited and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For more details, visit https://www.macaotourism.gov.mo/en/article/promotion/fly-you-to-macao?gad_source=1&gclid=cj0kcqia57g5bhduarisacgcynwcvksriwlqve0kwemuexkvhhge-tauy8ferkru3uc-q7yxypmb48kaamzdealw_wcb