Based on news coverage, Hong Kong’s bars and restaurants had quite a reversal of fortunes over the past two weekends.
Over Easter, multiple media reports detailed the dire situation for the hospitality and luxury retail sectors, with a disproportionate number of people leaving compared to those coming in.
According to Immigration Department numbers, over half a million Hong Kong residents took off between March 29 to April 1, either overseas or to China to get more bang for their buck eating and shopping. Meanwhile, only about 200,000 inbound visitors arrived, primarily from mainland China.
As someone who stayed in town, I can attest to the streets being quieter than normal, in spite of a rash of arts happenings, including Art Basel and Art Central. To my astonishment, not only were many restaurants…
