Hong Kongers splash the cash on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is the official day of love, and people across the Asia Pacific region are putting their money where their heart is.

According to Mastercard’s recently released Consumer Purchasing Priorities Survey, nearly half of people across the region (48 percent) stick to the tried and tested means of wooing a loved one: a romantic meal.

Forty-four percent of people splash the cash on a gift.

The Chinese are the region’s most ardent lovers, with three in four purchasing gifts for their romantic interest.

Spending on Valentine’s Day, unsurprisingly, is lavish, at an average cost of US$133 (HK$1,032) per person globally.

Again, people in China certainly know how to make an impression, topping the spending list with US$310, followed by Hong Kong at US$282 and at Taiwan US$271.

Men spend about 25 percent more on gifts than women.

Men favour flowers as a gift for their beloved (40 percent), whereas women prefer buying clothes and leather goods (28 percent).

Among both genders, the top three gifts to purchase are flowers (31 percent), clothes and leather goods (20 percent), and jewellery (17 percent).