【明報專訊】HONG KONG'S CONSUMER MARKET remains sluggish. As the Labour Day "golden week" holiday approaches, the industry is generally optimistic about a surge in mainland visitors. In truth, simply keeping tourists coming is already a respectable achievement. Rather than dwelling endlessly on the old lament of "crowds but no cash", businesses should do better to sharpen their appeal and entice more customers. After all, cookie-cutter products and services rarely win the hearts of either locals or visitors.
The city's retail and catering sectors continue to be plagued by closures and downsizing. Japanese retail giant Don Quijote, better known locally as "DONKI", has announced that its branch at Island Resort, Siu Sai Wan, will shut its doors at the end of May. Supermarkets' retail sales have been sliding steadily since their 2020 peak. The strong Hong Kong dollar has only made matters worse, fuelling a frenzy of outbound travel and cross-border consumption, and adding immense pressure to the local retail and catering industries.
During the recent Easter holiday alone, more than 2.45 million Hong Kong residents made outbound trips, an 8% jump from the same period last year. Industry groups reported that outbound travel exceeded expectations, leading to sharp drops in local business activity compared to regular days. With Labour Day golden week on the horizon, hopes are pinned on clawing back some lost ground, although fears persist that crowds may not translate into cash.
Over the past few years, the government has thrown its weight behind what it calls the "mega event economy", promoting the idea that Hong Kong is a city where "tourism is everywhere". Visitor numbers have been steadily rebounding: according to the Tourism Board, 12.2 million visitor arrivals were recorded in the first quarter of this year, up 9% year-on-year—a post-pandemic quarterly high. Mainland Chinese visitors made up the lion's share, reaching 9.25 million, a 6% rise, while short-haul traffic from Southeast Asia has also bounced back encouragingly.
With the Hong Kong dollar now softening alongside the US dollar, there is hope that tourists from certain regions will be further motivated to visit and spend here. Of course, if global tariff wars escalate, or if the Sino-US trade deadlock drags on and the broader economy deteriorates, Hong Kong's tourism sector cannot remain unaffected. While these external factors are beyond the industry's control, for now, the most pressing task is to boost the city's unique offerings and sharpen its competitive edge.
Structural shifts have already reshaped consumer habits. With the growing ease of online shopping on the mainland, the days when visitors came to Hong Kong primarily for retail therapy are fading fast. Rather than fretting endlessly over "crowds without cash", the better strategy is to innovate boldly and reawaken visitors' desire to spend. Even DONKI's parent company, when discussing the restructuring of its overseas Asian business, has mentioned that its Asian outlets have grown monotonous, underlining the urgent need for reinvention. It is also a challenge that Hong Kong's retail and catering sectors must confront head-on—from the content of their products and services to the way they market themselves, change and innovation are imperative.
Many local eateries have begun tapping into mainland social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and Douyin to promote authentic Hong Kong cuisine, showing a growing awareness that proactive outreach is essential. Meanwhile, the Development Bureau has announced a two-year pilot scheme relaxing land lease restrictions on holding events in public spaces within shopping centres and other commercial developments. This move could help create more distinctive attractions to draw the crowds.
明報社評 2025.04.29：與其慨嘆旺丁不旺財 不如加強賣點促消費
本港消費市道疲弱，五一黃金周將至，業界普遍看好內地訪港旅客數字。能夠持續吸引旅客訪港，已屬不錯，比起糾纏於「旺丁不旺財」一類問題，業界更應加強賣點，吸引更多顧客。千篇一律的商品及服務，很難贏得市民及旅客垂青。
本港零售餐飲行業不時傳出倒閉或縮減規模的消息。日本大型連鎖百貨店「驚安之殿堂」（簡稱DONKI），旗下位於小西灣藍灣半島的門店，日前便宣布將於下月31日結業。本港零售超市銷售額自2020年創出高位後每况愈下。港元強勢下，市民熱中外遊、北上消費成風，對本地零售餐飲業造成相當大的壓力。
以剛過去的復活節長假期為例，有逾245萬人次香港居民出境，較去年同期增加8%，飲食及零售業界均稱離港外遊市民比預期多，生意額較平日大跌。五一黃金周將至，業界希望可以「扳回一城」，惟同時亦擔心「旺丁不旺財」。
政府這兩三年力谷「盛事經濟」，提倡「無處不旅遊」，訪港旅客人數持續回升，旅發局早前公布，今年首季錄得1220萬訪港旅客人次，按年增長9%，為疫情後季度新高，當中以內地旅客最多，達到925萬，按年增長6%，東南亞短途客恢復情况也很理想。
港匯跟隨美元轉弱，相信可增加部分地區民眾來港旅遊消費的意欲。當然，如果環球關稅戰升級、中美貿易僵局持續，全球經濟都不好，本港旅遊業也不可能不受影響，然而這並非業界所能左右，當下最重要仍是設法加強自身的賣點和吸引力。
內地網購日益方便，民眾消費模式轉變，為了購物特意來港旅遊的需求減少，是結構性的轉變。與其繼續糾纏於「旺丁不旺財」，還不如致力推陳出新，刺激旅客消費意欲。DONKI母公司談及重組亞洲海外業務時，提到亞洲區內門店已變得千篇一律，有必要改革。其實這也是本港零售餐飲行業需要思考的問題，無論商品服務內容以至宣傳手法，都必須求變創新。
現時本港不少食肆利用內地社交平台，如小紅書、抖音做推廣，讓內地人了解地道的港式美食，反映業界明白必須主動積極招客。另外，發展局最近宣布推出為期兩年的試行計劃，放寬商場或其他商業項目在公共空間舉辦活動的地契限制，也有助業界多辦特色活動吸客。
/ Glossary生字 /
rekindle：to make a feeling or relationship become active again
cookie-cutter：not original in any way; having no special characteristics
monotonous：never changing and therefore boring
■休刊小啓：英文社評 將於5月1日（星期四）休刊一天。編輯部