- More than 25 shopping centres close for day of protests, that once again descend into violence across swathes of city
- The few visitors out and about on Tuesday struggle to find much open, while many key railway stations are shut
Major tourist, shopping and residential areas of Hong Kong resembled ghost towns on Tuesday, with nearly all stores and restaurants shutting for citywide anti-government protests on National Day.
Retail was brought to a virtual standstill in the global commercial hub as more than 25 shopping centres lowered their shutters fearing unrest, while at least 41 out of 91 metro stations suspended services, affecting 45 per cent of the MTR's urban network.
Causeway Bay, a usually bustling shopping district, saw its railway station close on Tuesday morning along with several malls, including Sogo department store, Hysan Place, Lee Gardens, Leighton Centre, Island Beverley and World Trade Centre.
Speaking shortly before Causeway Bay MTR closed at 11am, one passenger said: "It's like a ghost town."
The district's key thoroughfares such as Hennessy Road were occupied by protesters calling on the Hong Kong government to meet the remaining demands of the movement sparked by the now-withdrawn extradition bill, which include setting up an independent inquiry into police conduct.
The bill would have allowed the transfer of criminal suspects to mainland China and other jurisdictions with which Hong Kong lacks an agreement.
Travel Industry Council executive director Alice Chan Cheung Lok-yee said only 250 mainland tourists or 10 tour groups visited the city on Tuesday, which was down 90 per cent from the same time a year ago.
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Another 11 groups were registered to visit the city on Wednesday, compared with an average of 110 groups year-on-year.
"We expect the numbers to remain low for the entire 'golden week'," she told the Post.
The golden week holidays, which have previously offered a reliable boost to Hong Kong trade, span the seven days from Tuesday.
On Monday, the tourism board revealed the number of tourist arrivals to the city slumped nearly 40 per cent in August year-on-year, the worst since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in 2003.
A 30-year-old, who gave her name as Izabella, was among very few mainland visitors seen in Causeway Bay and she was disappointed that her shopping mission could not be accomplished.
"I am scared by the protesters, I've never seen such things before, and I don't care about their demands," she told the Post.
"I am just here to do some shopping, do you know which mall is still open?"
She added "I am worried they might destroy the MTR facilities today, which will cause trouble to me as I have to go back to Shenzhen tomorrow."
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A few blocks away, British tourist and graphic designer John, 71, and wife, who were spending three weeks' holidays in the city, had a hard time finding a restaurant for lunch as most eateries were closed.
"Of course I don't like violence. In the United Kingdom, we try to have more talks instead of violence, but I understand things are different here," he said.
"The only thing affecting me is that I cannot find a restaurant to eat now, as they all seem closed. But that's not a big deal to me."
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His wife, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "But the protests are indeed affecting business and economy here, I am concerned how far it can go."
In another corner of Causeway Bay, bucking the widespread closure of shops was Lung Mun Cafe, a type of local eatery known as cha chaan teng. Its pro-democracy stance is favoured by protesters.
A programmer who called himself Edmund, 30, was among about 100 customers queuing outside the cafe for a seat. He waited more than an hour in the heat.
"They are one of the few shops supporting students as they provide free lunches for them. The owner is willing to make his views known and support Hong Kong people. In return, we support the cafe."
The cafe's 40-year-old founder, who would only reveal his surname, Cheung, said he had no plan to close his doors earlier if protests turned ugly.
"If police come, I will let all protesters in and shut the door," he said, adding pro-government supporters attempted to disrupt his business at one stage.
"I just don't care. It's fine they don't come to my cafe, I am not afraid to lose money. I just want to support the protesters," Cheung said.
On Tuesday afternoon, thousands of protesters were marching illegally from Causeway Bay to Central through Wan Chai.
In Wan Chai, a woman surnamed Yeung, who worked at fruit and juice stall next to Southorn Playground, said business was halved when compared with the previous National Day holiday.
"No one goes out as there is no transport," Yeung said.
Her shop remained open despite the closure of many neighbouring ones. "I'm not worried. Usually nothing would happen to small shops like ours," she said.
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"We can't afford not to open the store, or else we can't earn enough to cover the rent," she said.
In Sham Shui Po, Friendly People Medicine Store was among the handful of shops that were still open near Maple Street Playground, which was closed and heavily guarded by the police after a protest was due to be held there.
Lau, owner of the store, said: "I have nothing to be scared of, so I keep business as normal " open at 10am and close at 11pm."
Asked how the protests would affect his business, Lau, who was finding change for a protester who had bought two boxes of masks, replied: "What do you think? There are not many customers coming."
In Tuen Mun, about 90 per cent of the shops at Park Lane shopping centre were closed for the day.
A 61-year-old, who gave his name as Mr Man and owns the K&K TV-Game Shop in the centre, was wearing a red shirt to reflect his stance as a government supporter. He vowed to keep his shop open.
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Man said his business has taken a more than 50 per cent dive in takings in the past month because of protesters overtaking the district and vandalising the area.
"Who is calling the shots here? The laws of Hong Kong or these people? I am not afraid of these people even though my shop has been labelled a blue ribbon business," Man said, referring to the label given to police supporters.
"They have yet to target private businesses and we are here to do business for as long as possible."
In the run up to National Day, arrivals in Hong Kong between September 28 and September 30 fell by 107,000 people over the same period last year, according to official figures.
Some 1.1 million people entered the city, down 9 per cent, according to Immigration Department statistics that count the number of people entering Hong Kong at immigration checkpoints by land, air, sea and rail. The figures include visitors to the city's residents.
At Hong Kong International Airport, the number of arrivals fell by 17 per cent to 157,000 over the same period, while visits from the Macau Ferry terminal dropped by 43 per cent, to 38,500. At the West Kowloon express rail station, arrivals slumped by 29 per cent.
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Cheung, Danny Lee, Laurie Chen, Sidney Leng and Mimi Lau
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