Hotels call for advance notice of major events to prepare for rise in demand

Hong Kong’s hotel industry has experienced a rollercoaster ride, according to Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, the executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners.

Tsui called on the government to provide the industry with earlier notification of major events to help hotels better prepare for fluctuations in demand.

He said local hotels see a surge in business during the first few days of long holidays, only to then face a sharp decline when the holidays end.

Currently, with Hong Kong in an off-season travel period, some hotel room rates have dropped to HK$300-400 per night, which Tsui described as a “surprising situation.”

While the individual visit scheme has been expanded to cover more mainland Chinese cities, Tsui said mainland tourists now have more travel options, with visa-free entry to more countries. This has posed challenges for Hong Kong’s hotel industry.

Tsui urged authorities to improve coordination of major events in Hong Kong so that tourists can stay in the city for longer periods. He said the government should inform the hotel and tourism sectors about upcoming events well in advance, so as to allow time for the industries to collaborate on package offerings.

“The authorities would tell us about a major event coming up in the next week, which would already be too late for us to sell packages,” Tsui said. “We want early notices on event updates, rather than just being given website addresses and told to find the information ourselves.”

The president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, Simon Wong Ka-wo, has also raised concerns.

He said the recent trend of Hongkongers traveling to the mainland for consumption has impacted the local catering business.

Wong suggested that the government should consider rebuilding Hong Kong’s nightlife, as many restaurants now opt to close in the evenings.

While the government has introduced measures to boost local consumption, Wong said these have only benefited limited areas like Tsim Sha Tsui and Victoria Harbour, leaving many other districts untouched.

He recommended the government promote “package tourism services” and organize a shuttle network between major shopping malls for tourists.

Lawmaker Eunice Yung Hoi-yan also weighed in, calling for the government to compete more actively for tourists during the summer travel peak.

She proposed establishing a big data platform on tourism to better understand visitor needs, as well as the introduction of an “AI ambassador” to help plan travel routes.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com