HONG KONG -- Prolonged protests in Hong Kong against a proposed extradition bill have started to affect the territory's retail sector. With protests not showing signs of abating anytime soon, the region's restaurant and travel industries are bracing for what they expect will be a diminished version of their usual summer high season.
Simon Wong, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said retailers in the areas where big demonstrations had taken place were already seeing related effects, with some stores having been forced to close during the protests. Demonstrations, which have taken place almost every weekend since early June, have spread from central Hong Kong to the suburbs.
