Something to chew on for caterers as vouchers await

Hongkongers might spend less of their HK$5,000 consumption voucher on dining than they had in the last two years, as caterers expect to pocket HK$6 billion, or 20 percent of the HK$30 billion voucher, catering veteran Simon Wong Ka-wo claims.

Residents will initially receive electronic vouchers worth HK$3,000 from April 16, and another HK$2,000 from July 16.

Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades representative Wong told a radio program he expects to see around 20 percent of the consumption vouchers spent on dining - down from 25 percent and 30 percent in previous rounds.

He explained the drop could be due to various factors, including people spending less and traveling more, while also being a low season for the catering industry.

"More than 500,000 Hongkongers traveled abroad in February this year. Previously, the vast majority of the seven million people in Hong Kong stayed and consumed locally. This has already had a direct impact [on our business]," Wong said.

"From an economic perspective, we can see that the economy has not yet fully recovered and many citizens are relatively cautious in their spending."

Wong said if the government were to give out the HK$5,000 in one go before Easter, people would be more willing to spend.

Despite the reopening of the borders with the mainland, he said the city only saw some 30,000 mainland tourists daily. More tourists are expected during the Labor Day "Golden Week" from May 1, he added.

Last week, the government announced that the new round of HK$5,000 consumption vouchers will be disbursed in two phases next month.

It said that those who have previously registered for the consumption voucher scheme are not allowed to change platforms for receiving the first installment.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu called for Octopus to automatically transfer data from elderly citizens' old Octopus cards to their new JoyYou cards, so they could get the voucher without having to register again.

Many elderly returned their old Octopus cards after receiving their JoyYou cards and it could be challenging for them to register online, Zhang said.

"I have tried to fill out the online registration form. It's indeed not so complicated, but the elderly may find it difficult to find the reference number in the text messages sent by the government last year," he said, adding that he would meet with Octopus to discuss technical solutions.

He suggested the government should set up temporary service counters at MTR stations to assist the elderly with the data transfer process.

Octopus reminded JoyYou card holders that they can still collect the consumption vouchers with their old Octopus cards, and later transfer the data to their new cards. But those who have returned or lost their old cards should update their registration record on or before March 29 online or call Octopus's customer hotline at 2969-5588.