Lan Kwai Fong gets Hong Kong Sevens booster but Kowloon City misses out
Nightlife tycoon Allan Zeman says jump in business is due to ‘euphoria’ surrounding the newly opened Kai Tak Stadium
Business in popular nightlife district Lan Kwai Fong rose by as much as 30 per cent on Friday evening after day one of the Hong Kong Sevens, industry leaders said, although restaurants near Kai Tak Stadium, the rugby tournament’s new home, have yet to see a big jump in trade.
Tycoon Allan Zeman, founder and chairman of the Lan Kwai Fong Group, said on Saturday that the increase in business was due to the excitement surrounding the newly opened stadium, where the Sevens will run until Sunday evening.
“I think there is euphoria,” he said. “It is amazing and it is such a great feeling about Hong Kong, where we can’t believe that this is our stadium.”
He said trade in Lan Kwai Fong on Friday evening jumped by as much as 30 per cent compared with last year. Zeman said he expected business for the Sevens period to increase by 20 per cent over last year.
“I’m very surprised as we were expecting a drop, but it’s been very, very good, so I am not complaining,” he said.
In previous years, when the event was held at Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay, rugby fans usually flocked to pubs in Wan Chai or Lan Kwai Fong after matches ended for the day.