Golden Week lift but travel costs bite into eateries' takings

Restaurants saw double-digit growth during the Labor Day "Golden Week" that lured over 600,000 mainland visitors to Hong Kong during the five-day holiday, even though not many were big spenders, a catering veteran said.

Institute of Dining Professionals president Ray Chui Man-wai said although eateries saw "double-digit growth'' of about 10 percent, the average spending in his cha chaan teng increased from HK$15 to HK$60. He believed the economy had just started to revive and the traveling cost was higher than in the past, causing customers to be more "stingy."

"It is the first Golden Week holiday [after the border reopened], and the hotel room prices went up higher than in previous years, so travelers tended to spend less on dining," Chui said on radio yesterday.

He recalled travelers in the 2018 golden week seldom checked out prices, but he observed that visitors were more mindful this time.

Chui added that his 44 restaurants still are short of staff, which led to slower table turnover.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said Hong Kong's "soft power" was shown during the Golden Week.

Lee said over 760,000 people entered Hong Kong in the past weekend, including 320,000 from the mainland.

Tourists were seen visiting a wide range of places, including historical monuments, parks and local shops. "All these have fully showcased the city's diversified charm and its soft power," he said.

He added that the M+ Museum and Hong Kong Palace Museum saw 19,000 and 7,300 visitors on Sunday, respectively, hitting a record high since their opening.

Travel Industry Council executive director Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan said that 80 to 90 percent of the visitors were individual travelers so the tourism sector still had enough manpower to handle group tours.

"The mainland tour groups [for the Golden Week] only accounted for some 10,000 [travelers], which is similar to the number on a normal weekend," she said.

The tourism sector still faces an acute manpower shortage in coach drivers and guides, but was well-prepared ahead of the Golden Week, Yeung added.

The council received registrations of 436 mainland tour groups, while 89 groups of about 2,600 travelers arrived in Hong Kong on Labor Day.

Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong said the sector has successfully diverted tour groups to dine in other areas.

He said some restaurants in East Tsim Sha Tsui were keen to serve tour groups, while some groups had their first meal at the Sha Tau Kok Farm near Heung Yuen Wai port. "We hope diverting the groups to other areas can help alleviate the problem of crowded streets in To Kwa Wan and Hung Hom," he said.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com