Hong Kong’s restaurant sector saw a 2.1 percent year-on-year decrease in the value of total receipts, provisionally estimated at HK$26.9 billion, in the second quarter of 2024 amid changing consumption patterns of visitors and residents, government data showed on Friday.

Over the same period, the provisional estimate of the value of total purchases by restaurants decreased by 4.0 percent to HK$8.5 billion, according to the latest provisional figures on restaurant receipts and purchases released by the Census and Statistics Department.

After netting out the effect of price changes over the same period, the provisional estimate of the volume of total restaurant receipts decreased by 4.6 percent in Q2 of 2024 compared with a year earlier, showed the data.

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A government spokesman pointed out that after discounting the effects of price changes and seasonal factors, total restaurant receipts during Q2 bounced back by 2.1 percent over the preceding quarter in volume terms, indicating that the sector’s performance has stabilized somewhat.

Analyzed by type of restaurant and comparing the second quarter of 2024 with the second quarter of 2023, total receipts of Chinese restaurants fell by 7.3 percent in value and 10.0 percent in volume, while total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants decreased by 3.0 percent in value and 4.6 percent in volume.

Meanwhile, total receipts of fast food shops increased by 7.9 percent in value and 4.7 percent in volume. Total receipts of bars dropped by 6.7 percent in value and 9.7 percent in volume.

Comparing the first half of 2024 with the same period in 2023, total restaurant receipts increased by 0.1 percent in value but decreased by 2.7 percent in volume, the data showed.

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According to the government spokesman, the business performance of restaurants may still face pressure in the near term.

However, the continued growth of the economy, rising employment earnings, and the special administrative region government's strenuous efforts to promote a mega event economy and boost market sentiment are expected to help support the restaurant business, the spokesman added.