About 40 percent of luxury goods sales in Hong Kong are to Japanese and Chinese mainland travelers. Those sales are also concentrated around some key national holidays, including the Golden Week annual Japanese holiday, which falls this year from April 29 to May 5, and the Labor Holiday week in China from May 1 to May 9. But sales could reduce significantly from the shortfall of tourists. |
The SARS epidemic in Southeast Asia is likely to have a negative impact on luxury goods sales in the region. Southeast Asia ex-Japan is a very important market for the sector because it accounts for about 14 percent of total global industry sales. |