San Ma Lo walking lane to return Feb. 4 & 5

After a packed three days for the San Ma Lo pedestrian zone, which attracted 93,000 people, the government will bring back the initiative on Feb. 4 and 5, with the latter day commonly regarded as the Chinese Valentine’s Day. The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the main organizing body, said the event’s return will again transform 450 meters of the main road into an urban forest, presenting multifaceted activities, featured food and beverage offerings, cultural merchandise and intangible cultural heritage shows.

Retail fireworks 40% more expensive than last year

Despite an average price rise of 40%, retail firecrackers and fireworks have remained a popular festive purchase during the Lunar New Year holidays. Vendors have blamed the price rise on the government’s restrictive import quota. The mass outbreak of Covid-19 before the holiday has also impacted production. Nonetheless, the crowd was about 40% bigger than last year. Vendors have been satisfied with revenues, having sold about 70% of their stock. Vendors hope the government will allow larger imports next year.

Some tourism district restaurants see four-fold business bounce

A restaurateur in a tourism district said on the third day of the Lunar New Year alone his business garnered four times as much revenue as the average of the previous year. The mean waiting time for a table at the restaurant was 20 minutes, he added. Souvenir snack shops also saw high demand. Although extra stock had been kept on hand, the first three days of the Lunar New Year saw some shelves already emptied. One shop owner said he has offered MOP3000 extra remuneration to incentivize his sales team to work during the holidays.