Hong Kong retailers have received a surge in inquiries from mainland Chinese tourists about the prices of high-end US products amid the trade war, but shop staff have said few end up buying and business has dipped during the Easter holiday.
Retail sales have suffered as Hongkongers leave the city in droves during the long weekend, with 1,329,556 departure trips by residents and only 234,090 visitor arrivals recorded on Easter’s eve and Good Friday.
Departures by locals were 31.4 per cent more than the pre-pandemic figure in 2018 and 8.4 per cent more than last year’s Easter. Arrivals were 20.4 per cent lower than in 2018 and 15.2 per cent higher than last year.
Most of the arrivals were mainlanders, with many of whom the Post spoke to sharing that they just wanted to unwind and window shop.
Some shops selling US products in Hong Kong noticed a surge in the number of mainlanders checking prices after Beijing raised tariffs on goods from the country to 125 per cent on top in retaliation for Washington’s 145 per cent tariff.
But Hong Kong has decided to maintain its free port status.
