CUHK: Hongkongers' travels up north did not mean less local spending in retail and catering
發佈日期: 2025-06-19 21:13
TVB News
The latest resesarch from the Chinese University of Hong Kong found that contrary to public perception, Hongkongers' travels up north did not mean much less local spending in retail and catering industries.
But the research team admits lifestyle-related service sectors face the most pinch, urging the government to provide more relevant support.
Through analysis of data from the Census and Statistics Department alongside the data model from Chinese e-wallet platform AlipayHK, the research from the Department of Economics at CUHK found that Hong Kong residents' expenditure in mainland China has not "crowded out" their spending in the SAR.
This as half of residents' spending up north focused on "lifestyle services," including beauty, massage and hair salon-related services while only 12 percent of their local expenditure were spent on such services.
AlipayHK data also revealed Hong Kong residents' local consumption is largely concentrated on retail and F&B-related sectors, but their relevant purchases on the mainland only accounted for 12 percent.
We asked the research team why there is a disconnect between public perception and the data especially with the string of recent closures of chain restaurants and businesses.
Prof. SONG ZHENG. Head, Dept. of Economics, CUHK: Consumption on some specific sectors is going down, but there is internal structural change going on within Hong Kong service sector. So that has nothing to do with, you know, Hong Kongers traveling to the mainland, spending a lot of money there.
The Department of Economics at CUHK also hopes to collaborate with other e-wallet platforms beyond AlipayHK, in order to obtain a broader range of data that reflects a more comprehensive picture of consumption patterns.
