Blog

Jun 29, 2023

Hong Kong Food Expo 2023 and other fairs attract nearly half a million visitors, vendors report soaring sales

Close to half a million visitors flocked to Hong Kong’s Food Expo and four other fairs, a nearly 12 per cent jump over last year’s figures and an increase the organiser on Monday called an encouraging

Close to half a million visitors flocked to Hong Kong’s Food Expo and four other fairs, a nearly 12 per cent jump over last year’s figures and an increase the organiser on Monday called an encouraging sign for the recovery of the exhibition industry.

Vendors at the Food Expo said the chance to offer visitors samples once again after the end of pandemic restrictions played a big role in attracting crowds to their booths and drumming up sales.

The five-day Food Expo ran alongside fairs featuring beauty products and home appliances, while events selling tea and traditional Chinese medicine wrapped up on Saturday.

“The five fairs featured more than 1,800 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions and attracted close to 480,000 public visitors, an encouraging recovery sign for the trade and fairs industries,” the Trade Development Council said.

Visitor numbers marked an 11.6 per cent increase over the 430,000 people who attended last year, while the fairs drew 370,000 in 2021.

The average visitor spent about HK$1,500 (US$191), a more than 8 per cent rise year on year, according to a survey of 1,300 respondents conducted by the organiser.

The encouraging numbers came as government figures showed inflation remained moderate last month. Consumer prices rose by 1.8 per cent year on year in July, down slightly from the 1.9 per cent increase recorded in June.

Among those who flocked to the Food Expo at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Monday was Kitty Yung Kit-ching, who spent HK$4,200 on 16 cans of abalone, four bags of fish maw, a few bags of scallops and dried mushrooms, as well as four boxes of mooncakes and other snacks, in the first hour.

“Good deals always happen on the last day so I came a bit earlier,” the 61-year-old grandmother of two said.

“My son’s family will return to Hong Kong for the first time for the Mid-Autumn Festival since he moved to the United Kingdom in 2020. So I decided to shop here to stock up for a festive dinner for them.”

Yung, who came prepared with a shopping trolley, added that the dried seafood she had bought was also for the Winter Solstice in December and she was planning to cook a meal for her relatives.

Cheung Mei-sheung, 48, a housewife who also came for the discounts and limited offers, ended up snagging two sets of dried mushroom clay pot rice with abalone for HK$140 and two bags of instant noodles with 10 packets each for a total of HK$160.

“I don’t have a set budget. I just go with the flow and buy something whenever I see it’s worth the money. It’s so nice to have cooked food available on site. I had a bowl of braised beef noodles for HK$15 and a portion of ‘Buddha jumps over the wall’ for HK$45,” Cheung said, referring to a Fujian dish with shark fin soup, scallops, sea cucumber, fish maw and abalone.

Exhibitors also made last-ditch efforts to entice customers with hefty discounts.

More than 100 people lined up at the Hoptai Marine Products’ booth, which reported a 20 per cent boost in sales compared with last year.

“Our goal is to sell everything so we do not take anything back to our warehouse. We have a variety of items already marked down as cost price,” said a booth salesman, who only gave the surname Chan.

“The food sampling is a game changer as it attracts more people. But we don’t see as many mainland Chinese tourists here like we did before the pandemic hit.”

Louise Chin, senior marketing officer at Nissin Foods Hong Kong, said customer numbers had increased by 30 per cent over last year’s.

“Our staff numbers are the same as last year and we are overwhelmed by how many people come for our goodie bags and new flavoured cup noodles,” Chin said.

Yuki Yuen, who works for a stall mostly selling Korean instant noodles, said the company was confident about selling out its stock, adding it too experienced a 30 per cent increase in business compared with last year due to the lure of samples.

“The prices here are at least a third cheaper than in retail stores,” Yuen said. “We have experienced a 30 per cent increase in business compared with last year with the help of samples.”

Meanwhile, the consumer price index rose by 1.8 per cent year on year in July, the third month in a row of slowdowns, Census and Statistics Department data showed.

A government spokesman said underlying consumer price inflation remained moderate last month.

Alcoholic drinks and tobacco saw the biggest year-on-year increases, rising 18.4 per cent, followed by electricity, gas and water at 9.9 per cent. Year-on-year falls were recorded for consumer durables and basic food.

“While domestic business costs might face some upwards pressure alongside the economic recovery, [inflation] should remain largely moderate in the near term,” the spokesman said.

Separately, the Liberal Party called on the government to promote the “night economy” to encourage more people to go out and spend.

In a submission during a consultation session with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on his coming policy address, the party suggested setting up night bazaars at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and West Kowloon Cultural District or other places farther from residential areas.

It also proposed cinemas offer discounts for evening screenings. It said shopping malls should also offer discounts to shoppers and diners during evening hours.

Additional reporting by Ng Kang-chung