Charlotte Wu
Tens of thousands flocked to the Wine and Dine Festival at Central Harbourfront on its last night yesterday as exhibitors said business met their expectations and sales were on par with 2018.
The four-day event attracted about 140,000 people.
As one of the events of the Night Vibes Hong Kong campaign, the four-day Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival returned to the Central Harbourfront after the last physical version five years ago.
Visitors enjoyed global wines from more than 36 countries, ranging from award-winning vintages to tropical wines.
A first-time festival visitor surnamed Chiu said she appreciated the diverse choice of wines and the friendly staff.
”I never thought of coming to the festival before as I thought it was for professional industry players, but today I found out that all people are welcome,” Chiu said.
She tried quality wine from southern Italy and craft beer from Hong Kong, finding the local ones more unique and memorable.
”One local shop names their craft beer in Hong Kong locations like ‘Big Wave,’ ‘The Peak,’ and ‘Dragon’s Back.’ Hiking enthusiasts may find them special and attractive,” she said.
Visitors could purchase a tasting pass upon their purchase of entry tickets. The pass included a number of tokens for food and wine tasting at any booths.
”I appreciate the tasting pass system as I can top up the pass with more tokens to try unlimited food and wine here,” Chiu said.
Local tabletop supplier Kung Kai Hong sold wine glasses in one of the booths, and general manager Gabriel Kung said sales were similar to 2018, which were beyond their expectations.
”We first assumed the sales rate might drop as there were fewer booths this year. But the number of visitors and sales are higher than expectations and we are satisfied,” Kung said.
As part of the festival theme, the booth offered visitors four cocktail choices.
A total of over 700 cocktails were sold Saturday, the most popular being a yuzu whiskey sour with over 200 daily sales.
Kung hoped the event showed to the public that the tourism and catering industries had begun to recover in the post-pandemic period.
”Citizens are now more willing to consume more and hang out. I hope they can sense the fun and happiness of this event,” he said.
”In future years, I hope our company can participate in the event and offer customers more products,” he said.
A bar owner in Lan Kwai Fong said sales were average this year.
”The sales were better than the three years during the pandemic when no one was spending time outside,” he said.
The owner said he was worried that the Wine and Dine Festival would affect the business but believed the business would pick up on Halloween.
He also said he was confident in the night economy of the city.
”More mainland tourists are back. I believe they will be having fun with the festive atmosphere in Hong Kong,” he said.
On Pottinger Street, several stalls sold Halloween costumes, including skeleton props and ghost masks.
An owner of a costume shop predicted a 20 percent increase in business turnover over last year, citing more mainland tourists, but noted the situation had not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
charlotte.wu@singtaonewscorp.
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