Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers and police leave after inspecting the license of a restaurant and bar after it reopened, in Lan Kwai Fong, a popular drinking area in Hong Kong on April 29, 2021, as coronavirus social-distancing restrictions on restaurants and bars were eased under new vaccine bubble rules. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG – The year-on-year value of total restaurant receipts in Hong Kong declined by 8.8 percent in the first quarter of 2021 as the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections receded, according to figures released Thursday by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government.
Total receipts of fast food shops and bars decreased by 4.9 percent and 74.7 percent respectively in value
A government spokesman said that the value of total restaurant receipts showed a narrower year-on-year decline in the first quarter mainly due to a lower base of comparison.
Analyzed by type of restaurant and comparing the first quarter of 2021 with the second quarter of 2020, total receipts of Chinese and non-Chinese restaurants decreased by 18.3 percent and 1.3 percent respectively in value, according figures from the HKSAR government's Census and Statistics Department.
Total receipts of fast food shops and bars decreased by 4.9 percent and 74.7 percent respectively in value. As for miscellaneous eating and drinking places, total receipts increased by 5.4 percent in value.
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The spokesman noted that business improved successively in February and March from the difficult situation in January, as the fourth wave of the local epidemic waned. Yet, total restaurant receipts in March was still sizably lower than the levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.
He further pointed out that the business environment of restaurants will remain challenging in the near term, as the local job and income situation is still under notable pressure and inbound tourism remains in the doldrums.
Nonetheless, the recent relaxation of certain restrictions on restaurants with the "vaccine bubble" as the basis should render some support. It is essential for the community to work together to keep the epidemic under control and to actively participate in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, so as to lay a more solid foundation for the revival of consumer-facing activities and international travel, the spokesman added.