Thousands visited the annual Food Expo in Hong Kong on its opening day to feast on the variety of flavours being served from HK$1 canned abalone to whole chicken.
The five-day exhibition opened to the public at 10am on Thursday at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, running alongside four other fairs, including the Beauty and Wellness Expo and Home Delights Expo.
The events combined featured about 1,860 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions, according to organiser Hong Kong Trade Development Council.
Chan Kuen, a 63-year-old housewife, raved about a Japanese beef rice bowl sample after waiting in line with two dozen others at a booth selling pre-packaged and frozen foods from Japan.
“It’s good, it was worth the wait … I might buy a few packets to keep in the freezer at home as a late night snack for my family,” she said.
University students Steph Chau and Man Li, both 19, said they arrived about half an hour before doors opened to ensure they were among the first to enter the venue.
“People think coming here is housewife activity, but we think it’s a lot of fun,” Chau said. “We are students so it’s interesting to find new and cheap things to bring to our dormitory when school starts.”
Li added their most interesting purchase so far were two cup noodle-shaped crossbody bags that they had received after buying several packages of instant ramen and cup noodles.
The steady bustle at the expo was occasionally interjected by bursts of excitement as vendors went head-to-head with one another to attract customers with flash sales and free handouts.
Henry Poon Wing-hei, sales and marketing manager at On Kee Dry Seafood, said he was thrilled to see the long line of customers after his booth announced a promotion: goodie bags containing boxes of dried abalone, mushrooms, XO sauce and dried scallops, worth HK$546 (US$70), going at HK$198 apiece for a limited time.
“The foot traffic so far is comparable to last year,” he said, adding he noticed the crowd growing rapidly as the day went on.
“Hopefully the coming weekend will bring even better footfall.”
Poon also expressed hopes that sales could match last year’s expo, or even exceed by around 10 per cent.
Winnie Liu Pui-ming, marketing manager at WellBeing360, a company specialising in organic and health products, said she noticed some visitors from mainland China.
“They tend to buy a little more compared with locals, probably because they are bringing things back to the mainland, whereas Hongkongers can get this stuff anytime.”
She said the crowd so far was generally “not bad”, although people were noticeably less willing to spend than previous years.
“Maybe because the economy isn’t so great right now.”
Speaking at the event’s opening ceremony, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said the trade fair sector was “crucial” to the city’s economy as it attracted high-spending, overnight business visitors, and helped spur economic activities.
Alongside the food expo, the Food Expo Pro, geared towards industry insiders, and a Tea Fair, also opened on Thursday and will last until August 17.
