Latest news with #Hongkongers
RTHK
10 hours ago
- Business
- RTHK
Cut rents further to lift catering sector
Cut rents further to lift catering sector Simon Wong says visitors to Hong Kong are spending less. Photo: RTHK A catering sector representative on Saturday said rents will continue to be a challenge despite a recent reduction. Simon Wong, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades told a Commercial Radio programme that even though the SAR has been welcoming more tourists this year, business performance is worse than the pre-Covid period. This is because spending for each visitor has dropped by 20 percent. Noting that landlords have slashed rents by up to 15 percent on average in the past half-year – and even 30 percent in some districts – Wong expressed the hope that they would go down even further. "If there's so much empty space on the street, the landlords would feel that kind of pressure and they are willing to lower their rent at this moment. And I'm looking forward to more decrease in the rent because still the rents compared to other expenses are quite high," he told reporters. "Our operating expenses is comprised of rent, salaries and also food costs, and rental is one of the major expenses we encounter. So if the rent can go down by at least another 20 or 25 percent, it would help us a lot." Wong also noted that the phenomenon of Hongkongers heading north to spend is "irreversible", but he hopes that the government will expand multiple-entry visas to cover the entire Greater Bay Area, or even other mainland cities to help the catering sector. Meanwhile, Wong said he expects a campaign – which sees more than 3,800 restaurants offering discounts of up to 29 percent to celebrate the 28th anniversary of the SAR's establishment on July 1 –to boost business by up to 15 percent that day.
HKFP
21 hours ago
- Politics
- HKFP
Canada confirms Hongkongers applying for permanent residence via ‘lifeboat' scheme can await results abroad
Canada's immigration office has confirmed that Hongkongers applying for permanent residence via a 'lifeboat' scheme created in response to Beijing's national security law may await the result of their application abroad. In response to HKFP's enquiries, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in an email that applicants must be physically present when applying for the Hong Kong Pathway Programme, and when their application is approved. The spokesperson added: 'They do not have to remain in Canada while the application is being processed.' The applicants, however, must 'intend to live in Canada, in any province or territory other than the province of Quebec,' according to the IRCC website. Amid an exodus of Hong Kong residents often attributed to strict Covid-19 rules and the political developments since the protests and unrest in 2019, Canada has emerged as one of the most popular destinations for emigrants. But in recent months, there have been complaints from applicants saying the wait was longer than expected. When asked by HKFP whether Hongkongers may return to Hong Kong for an extended period -such as the estimated 17-month processing time – a spokesperson reiterated that applicants do not have to remain in Canada while their application is being processed. Lifeboat scheme As of April 30, close to 34,000 people have applied for permanent residence under the Hong Kong scheme, according to IRCC statistics. Over 12,200 applications have been processed and close to 11,750 have been approved. The lifeboat scheme offers two pathways. Stream A allows Hongkongers who recently graduated from Canadian post-secondary institutions to seek permanent residence. Stream B targets Hongkongers who have worked full-time in Canada for at least one year, or spent at least 1,560 hours in total undertaking part-time work. IRCC told HKFP that the processing time for PR applications submitted under the scheme was seventeen months as of the end of April. This includes both Stream A and Stream B, and indicates the time frame within which 80 per cent of complete applications were processed. In March, the IRCC announced there would be a years-long delay in processing permanent residence applications from Hongkongers. It said that as of October 31, 80 per cent of permanent residence applications were processed within a year. But a backlog has emerged due to a high volume of applications received, and most applications are expected to be processed after 2027. To accommodate the processing time, Canada offered a new work permit for Hongkongers in May last year to allow them to stay in the country while awaiting their application results. HKFP reported earlier this month that Hongkongers in Canada have taken to social media to express their confusion and frustration at the lack of updates on their permanent residence applications. Advocacy groups and politicians in Canada have called on the government to tackle the backlog and maintain its pledge to grant permanent residence to Hongkongers. The lifeboat scheme is set to expire on August 31, 2026, after which Canada will no longer accept applicants. June 30, next Monday, marks five years since Beijing inserted national security legislation directly into Hong Kong's mini-constitution in 2020 following a year of pro-democracy protests and unrest. It criminalised subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorist acts – broadly defined to include disruption to transport and other infrastructure. The move gave police sweeping new powers and led to hundreds of arrests amid new legal precedents, while dozens of civil society groups disappeared. The authorities say it restored stability and peace to the city, rejecting criticism from trade partners, the UN and NGOs.
RTHK
a day ago
- Business
- RTHK
50pc more deals at this year's HK Shopping Festival
50pc more deals at this year's HK Shopping Festival Annie Yau Tse says it is hard to say how much of a boost the campaign would provide to the retail sector. File photo: RTHK The chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association on Friday said with more shops joining this year's Hong Kong Shopping Festival, local deals could be more attractive than those outside the SAR. The two-month festival that is held for the third straight year will kick off on July 1. With more than 180 brands offering freebies and discounts, Annie Yau Tse told an RTHK radio programme that the event aims to encourage people to loosen their purse strings to counter a recent sales slump. "The total amount of discounts this time is 50 percent more than last year. This year it is worth more than HK$19 billion in total," she said. "We've got more discounts, and the number of participating shops and brands have gone up by 10 to 20 percent. I believe if the campaign isn't effective, shops won't be so keen to join." Yau Tse noted that it is inevitable that Hongkongers will leave the region to spend the summer holiday elsewhere during the period, but hopes that the discounts on offer will be a better deal compared with shopping overseas. But she added it is hard to say how much of a boost the event could provide to the ailing retail sector. As part of the celebrations to mark the 28th anniversary of the SAR's anniversary, the catering sector will also roll out discounts of up to 29 percent. Some discounts will only be available on July 1, while discounts at several restaurants will last for a week. Winston Yeung, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades told the same show that various kinds of eateries have agreed to take part, such as fast-food shops, Chinese restaurants and cafes. When asked whether the up to 29 percent discounts is enough to encourage people to spend locally, Yeung said it is not an easy comparison, as some food on the mainland costs only one-third of the offerings in Hong Kong. Yeung added his hope is that the discounts can get residents to spend more than usual.
RTHK
a day ago
- Business
- RTHK
50pc more deals at this year's HK Shopping Festival
50pc more deals at this year's HK Shopping Festival Annie Yau Tse says it is hard to say how much of a boost the campaign would provide to the retail sector. File photo: RTHK The chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association on Friday said with more shops joining this year's Hong Kong Shopping Festival, local deals could be more attractive than those outside the SAR. The two-month festival that is held for the third straight year will kick off on July 1. With more than 180 brands offering freebies and discounts, Annie Yau Tse told an RTHK radio programme that the event aims to encourage people to loosen their purse strings to counter a recent sales slump. "The total amount of discounts this time is 50 percent more than last year. This year it is worth more than HK$19 billion in total," she said. "We've got more discounts, and the number of participating shops and brands have gone up by 10 to 20 percent. I believe if the campaign isn't effective, shops won't be so keen to join." Yau Tse noted that it is inevitable that Hongkongers will leave the region to spend the summer holiday elsewhere during the period, but hopes that the discounts on offer will be a better deal compared with shopping overseas. But she added it is hard to say how much of a boost the event could provide to the ailing retail sector. As part of the celebrations to mark the 28th anniversary of the SAR's anniversary, the catering sector will also roll out discounts of up to 29 percent. Some discounts will only be available on July 1, while discounts at several restaurants will last for a week. Winston Yeung, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades told the same show that various kinds of eateries have agreed to take part, such as fast-food shops, Chinese restaurants and cafes. When asked whether the up to 29 percent discounts is enough to encourage people to spend locally, Yeung said it is not an easy comparison, as some food on the mainland costs only one-third of the offerings in Hong Kong. Yeung added his hope is that the discounts can get residents to spend more than usual.
RTHK
2 days ago
- Business
- RTHK
Shopping fest starts in bid to help ease retail woes
Shopping fest starts in bid to help ease retail woes Hong Kong Retail Management Association chairwoman Annie Yau Tse and Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bernard Chan launch the shopping festival. Photo: RTHK The third Hong Kong Shopping Festival started on Thursday as part of efforts to help Hong Kong's ailing retail sector. The festival, organised by the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, is expected to last for two months and end in August. Association chairwoman Annie Yau Tse said the hope is to take advantage of the summer despite a majority of Hongkongers travelling since tourists will also be coming to the SAR. She said the cost of rents and labour are still high when compared to sales and that while offline shopping is becoming increasingly popular, there is still demand for physical stores. More than 180 brands have participated and will be offering over HK$1.9 billion worth of vouchers on 13 platforms such as Alipay and Payme. The association also said it aims to help push the development of a silver economy in alignment with the government's call, encouraging elderly consumption through discounts such as at Chinese medicine clinics or buying health products. Its vice chairman Andrew Wong said there has been an increase in participation throughout the past few shopping festivals. "I think this is the beauty about Hong Kong retail, so you can see there's more and more channels working with us, more industries working with us," he said. "All together, we're just gonna make it [the Hong Kong retail sector] more attractive for our local customers and tourists."
