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Business receipts in value terms of almost all service industries increased in the third quarter of 2005 over a year earlier, according to the provisional business receipts indices released today (December 16) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
2. Comparing the third quarter of 2005 with a year earlier, business receipts of the financing (except banking) and transport industries increased by 29.7% and 20.3% respectively.
3. The increase in business receipts of the financing (except banking) industry was mainly fuelled by the buoyant local stock market, while that of the transport industry was mainly attributable to the growth in air and maritime transport businesses.
4. Other service industries that recorded larger increases in business receipts included the insurance (+17.7%), banking (+17.5%), hotels (+16.6%), real estate (+14.0%) and storage (+12.5%).
5. Analysed by service domain, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain in the third quarter of 2005 increased by 8.2% over a year earlier, mainly attributable to the growth in inbound tourism. During the same period, business receipts of the computer and information services domain increased by 25.2%.
6. Comparing the third quarter of 2005 with the second quarter of 2005, and bearing in mind that this comparison might be affected by seasonal factors, there were more service industries with increases in business receipts than those with decreases. Larger increases were recorded in the financing (except banking) (+16.2%) and transport (+16.0%) industries.
7. Table 1 presents provisional business receipts indices for service industries and service domains for the third quarter of 2005, while Table 2 shows the time series of the business receipts indices for the recent five quarters.
8. Data for compiling the business receipts indices are mainly from the Quarterly Survey of Service Industries conducted by the C&SD, supplemented by relevant data provided by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
9. A service domain differs from a service industry in that it comprises those economic activities straddling different industries but are somehow related to a common theme. It may include all activities carried out by all establishments in a service industry that is closely related to the domain. For a service industry that is less closely related, however, only a portion of the establishments in the industry or even only part of the economic activities of the establishments is related to the domain. As an example, tourism includes all activities of all hotels and travel agents; and some (those involving visitors as customers) but not all of the activities of restaurants, retailers and transport operators.
10. Details on the compilation method of the business receipts indices are given in the report "Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, Third Quarter 2005".
11. This publication is now on sale at HK$10 per issue. Both print version and download version of the publication can be purchased online at the "Statistical Bookstore, Hong Kong" (http://www.statisticalbookstore.gov.hk). Download version of the publication can be purchased at 75% of its original price exclusively at the online Statistical Bookstore. Print version if purchased online is also offered a discount, at 85% of its original price at the Statistical Bookstore as well as the Government Bookstore (Address : http://www.isd.gov.hk/eng/bookorder.htm). For purchase of print version, this can be done through mail order by returning a completed order form which can be downloaded from the C&SD's website (http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/eng/prod_serv/forms_index.html). Purchase can also be made in person at the Publications Unit of the C&SD (Address: 19/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai; Tel.: 2582 3025).
12. In mid-December 2005 when the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (MC6) is to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, there will be a number of block-off and traffic diversion arrangements in the Wan Chai North area. Special security measures will be put in place in the Wanchai Tower where offices of the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), including its Publications Sales Centre, are located.
13. To facilitate the purchase of the C&SD publications during the MC6 period, a temporary publications sales centre will be operated on 5/F of Fortress Tower, 250 King¡¦s Road, North Point, from 8 December to 20 December 2005. During this period, the C&SD Publications Sales Centre on 19/F of Wanchai Tower will suspend its service and will resume operation on 21 December 2005 (Wednesday).
14. Apart from the C&SD Publications Sales Centre, the C&SD publications are also available for sale at the Publications Sales Unit of the Information Services Department at Room 402, Murray Building, Garden Road, Central.
15. Enquiries about survey results can be directed to the Business Services Statistics Section of the C&SD at Tel. 2802 1269.
Ends/Friday, December 16, 2005
Issued at HKT 16:18
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