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Business receipts in value terms of all service industries increased in 2005 over a year earlier, according to the provisional business receipts indices released today (March 14) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).
2. Comparing 2005 with 2004, business receipts of the hotels industry increased notably by 21.9%, attributable mainly to the sustained growth in inbound tourism.
3. Other service industries that recorded larger increases in business receipts included the transport (+17.6%), real estate (+15.8%), insurance (+15.7%), financing (except banking) (+14.3%), banking (+10.9%), import and export trade (+10.5%) and storage (+10.3%).
4. Analysed by service domain, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain increased by 13.5%, while that of the computer and information services domain increased by 23.2%.
5. Comparing the fourth quarter of 2005 with a year earlier, business receipts of all service industries, except real estate, increased. Larger increases were observed in the hotels (+22.7%), insurance (+19.9%), financing (except banking) (+18.7%), transport (+14.9%), storage (+12.5%) and import and export trade (+10.4%) industries.
6. As regards service domains, business receipts of the tourism, convention and exhibition services domain and the computer and information services domain both increased, by 15.7% and 25.1% respectively in the fourth quarter of 2005 over a year earlier.
7. Comparing the fourth quarter of 2005 with the third quarter of 2005, and bearing in mind that this comparison might be affected by seasonal factors, business receipts of most service industries increased. Larger increases were observed in the hotels (+40.6%), insurance (+15.8%), financing (except banking) (+9.8%) and banking (+8.4%) industries.
8. Table 1 presents provisional business receipts indices for service industries and service domains for the fourth quarter of 2005, with the quarterly average of business receipts indices in 2000 taken as 100. Also included are comparisons of the business receipts indices, viz. those of the fourth quarter of 2005 with the fourth quarter of 2004, the fourth quarter of 2005 with the third quarter of 2005 and the entire 2005 with the entire 2004.
9. Table 2 shows the time series of the 2000-based business receipts indices for the recent five quarters. Business receipts indices for 2005 are also included.
10. 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.
11. 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. Taking tourism as an example, it 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.
12. Details on the compilation method of the business receipts indices are given in the report "Quarterly Business Receipts Indices for Service Industries, Fourth Quarter 2005".
13. 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 (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).
14. Enquiries about survey results can be directed to the Business Services Statistics Section of the C&SD at Tel. 2802 1269.
Ends/Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:16
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