Christmas celebrations will be muted in Hong Kong following the city’s deadliest fire in seven decades, business leaders say, as they try to balance the need to generate revenue with public mourning for the 160 victims.
After the inferno that tore through Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26, many parties, gatherings, concerts and ceremonies were either delayed or cancelled as shocked residents were overwhelmed with grief.
But slowly, businesses have started to roll out Christmas promotions, adopting a low-key approach.
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“The problem is if you’re too ostentatious, it’s in bad taste,” Allan Zeman, who created the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife hotspot, said.
“I think this month will be kind of a semi-mourning month, so that’s the dilemma that a lot of businesses face. They’ve got to respect what has happened.”
The mood in the city had improved slightly as the public saw that displaced residents were being housed, investigations into the cause of the fire were launched and the government was going “all out” in its relief operations.