Many people flocked to Aberdeen on Tuesday morning to take photos and bid farewell to Jumbo Floating Restaurant as it was being towed away from Hong Kong.

Once a popular tourist destination, the 46-year-old restaurant suspended operations in 2020 amid the coronavirus outbreak.

It was donated to Ocean Park but the amusement park later said it could not find a third-party operator to run the restaurant.

A man surnamed Ho said he had dined at the iconic restaurant in the past and that it was a pity to see it leave.

"We don't know where it's going and will probably never see it again, so I came to take photos with it," he told RTHK.

He said while he wished the ship could be preserved, he understood that it would be extremely costly to do so.

A woman surnamed Koo, meanwhile, said the ship brought back memories as she had visited it with friends from overseas some years ago.

"The interior was glamorous. The food was delicious. I think the government is capable of preserving the ship. It all depends on whether it wants to do it," she said.

In a statement, the restaurant’s parent company thanked residents for their support.

"A unique icon for local residents and tourists alike, Jumbo Floating Restaurant has stood proud in Southern District of Hong Kong Island for the past 46 years," it said.

"Throughout this journey, it has been a great honour for us to share beautiful collective memories with local and foreign visitors."

The company refused to reveal where Jumbo will be bound for, saying only that it has found a suitable parking space for it outside Hong Kong as it awaits a new operator.