How investing in Hong Kong’s evening economy can revive the city’s culture and identity
- Hong Kong’s nightlife need not be limited to eating and drinking; art galleries, book stores, museums and other cultural spaces should be encouraged to stay open late
- Diversifying the city’s evening economy will bolster local tourism and foster a new sense of identity
Hong Kong’s evening economy could cultivate a new sense of identity while unleashing new potential in the city.
While the city urgently needs a plan to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the potential contained within its evening economy deserves greater attention.
The pandemic has upended Hong Kong’s evening economy. For a long time, dine-in services stopped after 6pm, while bars and nightclubs suffered after being shut down.
Yet, Hong Kong is a consumption-driven economy. It is one of the most service-oriented economies in the world, with the sector accounting for 93.5 per cent of the city’s GDP in 2020. A large part of our evening economy is wrapped up in eating, drinking, shopping and entertaining.
People need a chance to wind down from their stressful working lives and compensate for spending long hours in the office. However, the question remains whether our evening economy is diversified enough.
In other major cities, gyms, sushi bars, art galleries, book stores, museums and the like are open late. Keeping museums open in the evening to give people more options and create more economic opportunities would not be unwelcome. Most museums operated under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department close at 6pm.
The usual visitors during the day are students and tourists. However, large parts of the city’s working population struggle to enjoy a cultural experience without long, demoralising queues at weekends and public holidays.
Other spaces for arts education are expected to open soon. Hong Kong can do much more in terms of cultivating a new sense of identity with its evening economy, which could also boost the tourism industry’s economic contribution.
There is no reason Hong Kong cannot succeed. It has the necessary transport system with the MTR and bus services running until late. Investment in smart tech could alleviate any potential logistics and safety issues over workers staying out late.
If Hong Kong is to truly become a “hub for arts and cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world”, as envisioned in the 14th-five year plan, its new leadership must reflect and take action to revive and diversify its evening economy. This will bolster the local tourism industry and foster a new sense of identity and culture as part of Hong Kong’s long-term recovery.
Neville Lai is an independent researcher on global affairs