HONG KONG • Protests in Hong Kong are driving away visitors, and the city's hotel workers are paying the price.
About 77 per cent of people working in hotels have been told to take unpaid leave of up to three days, while 46 per cent expect their monthly income to be reduced by as much as HK$3,000 (S$527), according to a survey by the Hotels, Food and Beverage Employees Association. About 43 per cent believe hotels will cut jobs if the situation worsens.
"The continuous escalation of protests to violent levels has seriously affected Hong Kong's reputation as a shopping haven and capital of gourmets," the association said in a statement on Monday.
The survey of 438 hotel employees working across more than 40 hotels in Hong Kong was conducted at the end of last month, and reveals the impact of protests now in their 16th week.
Hong Kong's tourism sector has been decimated by footage beamed around the world of leaderless protests that have occasionally flared into violence and affected the city's airport.
Overall, tourism to the city declined almost 40 per cent last month from a year earlier, said Financial Secretary Paul Chan in a blog post earlier this month.
That was the worst drop since the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) epidemic.
Hong Kong's Jockey Club cancelled all races planned for yesterday after pro-democracy protesters said they would target the Happy Valley racecourse where a horse part-owned by a pro-China lawmaker was due to run.
The horse called Hong Kong Bet that had been due to run in last evening's programme is part-owned by lawmaker Junius Ho, who has taken a firm line on the protesters, calling them "black-shirted thugs".
Mr Ho said he was "astonished" by the cancellation.
The club said yesterday in a statement it has "conducted a thorough risk assessment of the race meeting tonight and concluded that it should be cancelled in order to preserve the security and safety of people and horses".
The government also said fireworks to mark China's National Day on Oct 1 had been called off.
BLOOMBERG, REUTERS
