There’s still room in the inn even though the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens are on
Operators report there are still rooms available in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay hotels as occupancy rates dipped 6 to 7 percentage points in February
The long-awaited Rugby Sevens tournament, which starts on Friday, failed to stimulate demand for tourist beds in Hong Kong as hotels near the stadium for the first time still have rooms available during the three-day extravaganza, according to the Federation of Kong Kong Hotel Owners.
Occupancy at Wan Chai and Causeway Bay hotels was 90 per cent as of Thursday, compared with full houses in previous years, while room rates dropped around 10 per cent over the same period.
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One reason was that Singapore – a new destination for the Sevens World Series – will hold its event in a week’s time, said Michael Li Hon-sing, executive director of the federation.
“This is the first year that hotels near the stadium still have available rooms,” said Li. He added that all the hotels were usually full a few days ahead of the start of the tournament, and rates could easily reach HK$2,000 for a standard room in a three-star hotel.
The poorer hotel booking during one of the biggest sporting events of the year is also a reflection of the difficult times faced by the travel industry amid dwindling tourist numbers.
According to Li, overall hotel occupancy was down 6 to 7 percentage points to around 82 per cent in February from a year earlier, while room rates declined 12 per cent to around HK$1,200 – a level last seen about four years ago.
