A triple whammy of bad weather conditions, Covid-19 curbs and the ongoing World Cup in Qatar drove away potential customers, resulting in an estimated trimming of business turnover at the city’s longest-running food festival by 20 to 25 per cent, Chan Chak Mo, head of the coordinating committee of the Macau Food Festival told media.
The Macau Food Festival, which concluded last night, was once close to being axed after a 14-year-old visitor infected with Covid-19 had been there. Chan said that overall footfall at the 17-day event declined by at least 20 per cent.
Although a conclusion on final turnover is yet to be drawn, the lawmaker-cum-business said that business operators there lamented a year-on-year fall in turnover that ranged between 20 per cent and 25 per cent.
The organiser said that the festival had welcomed fewer visitors compared to the last year probably due to recent bad weather and worries about Covid controls.
He also said that some of their potential customers could have spent their money on World Cup events and celebrations in bars and pubs.
However, we managed to fulfil our original goal of finishing the event without a hitch amid Covid-19 concerns among participating businesses, Chan stressed.
Festival goers were required to scan venue codes at the event under orders from local authorities.
According to Chan, the organiser would consider inviting businesses from abroad, such as Japan or Malaysia to make the event more attractive if Covid curbs and controls loosened further in the city.
