Hong Kong bids adieu to World's largest floating restaurant, Jumbo Kingdom

A landmark floating restaurant that fed Cantonese cuisine and seafood to Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise and millions of other diners was towed from the Hong Kong harbour front after being closed by the pandemic. The parent company of Jumbo Floating Restaurant couldn't find a new owner and lacked funds to maintain it after months of COVID-19 restrictions.

Hong Kong's Jumbo Floating Restaurant, a famed but ageing tourist attraction that featured in multiple Cantonese and Hollywood films, was towed out of the city after the Covid pandemic finally sank the struggling business. Credit: AFP Photo

The massive floating restaurant designed like a Chinese imperial palace on Aberdeen Harbour was known for its Cantonese cuisine and seafood dishes. It received over 30 million guests since its establishment in 1976. Credit: AFP Photo

The buoyant behemoth, which at 76 metres (250 feet) long could house 2,300 diners, set out shortly before noon from the southern Hong Kong Island typhoon shelter where it has sat for nearly half a century. Credit: AFP Photo

Jumbo Floating Restaurant was forced to close in 2020 due to the pandemic, and all staff were laid off. Credit: AFP Photo

Parent company Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said it had become a financial burden to shareholders, as millions of Hong Kong dollars were spent on inspection and maintenance of the floating restaurant every year even though the restaurant was not in operation. Credit: AFP Photo

Tugboats towed the restaurant away but it wasn't clear where it will berth next. Credit: AFP Photo

The company planned to move it to a lower-cost site where maintenance could still be conducted. Credit: AP Photo

Some Hong Kong residents recalled the heyday of Jumbo Kingdom, and expressed disappointment in seeing the restaurant go. Credit: AFP Photo

Wong Chi-wah, a boat operator in Aberdeen Harbour, said that in the glory days of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant in the 1990s, flocks of Japanese tourists would visit the restaurants. Credit: Reuters Photo