Lan Kwai Fong Group on Sunday said it welcomed a record 105,000 revellers on Halloween, up from 80,000 a year earlier, as bars and restaurants saw business nearly double.

The group's chairman, Allan Zeman said the size of the crowd on Saturday – also the final day of Hong Kong's inaugural month-long programme for the spooky festival – was the busiest Halloween the entertainment district had ever seen.

"The first Saturday that it came out, it was busy, the second Saturday, more people came, and then the third Saturday was really quite busy but not as busy as last Saturday night," he said.

“It was a record because last year we had 80,000 people and never expected to break the record.”

He lauded the Tourism Board’s Halloween Month, saying it was a draw for visitors from across Hong Kong, the mainland and overseas.

"The beauty was there was people from all over," Zeman said.

Locals made up roughly 50 to 60 percent of the crowd and mainland visitors stood at about 20 to 30 percent, with Zeman saying there were more tourists from around the world as well.

"In the past we never had so many international people," he said, adding that visitors told him they had come from Canada and the United States specifically to experience Lan Kwai Fong.

Zeman also said bars and restaurants did 90 to 100 percent more business than on a normal Saturday, while other businesses reported gains of 40 to 50 percent.

"It was just the best Halloween that Lan Kwai Fong has ever seen," he said.

The Lan Kwai Fong Group chairman also said the opening of the round-the-clock Huanggang Port and extended clearance hours at Shenzhen Bay control point made a difference.

It’s a "game changer for Hong Kong – not just for Halloween", he said, citing facial recognition that can clear travellers in about two minutes.


Edited by Aaron Tam