Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on his blog that the number of visitors to the city continued to increase this year, with about 20 million visitors in the first five months, mainland visitors accounted for about three-quarters of the total, up about 10% year-on-year, and overseas visitors grew by 18% . He said it was estimated that the mega events in the first half of this year would attract about 840,000 visitors, generating hk $3.3 billion in spending and HK $1.8 billion in economic value added for Hong Kong.
In the first half of this year, Hong Kong will host at least 93 mega events in five major categories: cultural, arts and creative events; convention and exhibition events; sports and sporting events; festivals and celebrations; Financial, economic and I & T activities. Paul Chan said that in planning the Mega Events, the HKSAR Government has been actively linking them up and organically integrating the events with other highlights of Hong Kong’s tourism industry, so as to enhance the synergy effect and enhance the tourism experience, it also makes more passengers happy to come to Hong Kong and stay for a few more days. Hong kong-related industries are also actively participating, such as the recent concert at the Kai Tak Sports Park, which has been well received by the hotel package. The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) and other performing venues have been working with the tourism industry to liaise with the concert organisers and the surrounding hotels, shopping malls, shops, restaurants and tourist attractions to launch consumption discounts and package packages, we should jointly seize the economic opportunities of major events.
Paul Chan said that looking ahead to the second half of the year, a number of mega cultural and sports tourism events would continue to be staged in Hong Kong, such as a football extravaganza, a wine and Dine Parade, concerts, as well as new attractions, as well as urban and rural areas, different streets and hotspots will attract a large number of visitors, we are confident that the number of visitors will continue to rise throughout the year.
The Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, Cui Dingbang, said that Hong Kong has launched a number of mega events in recent years and the“Mega events economy” has achieved remarkable results. Legislative Councillor Peter Shiu Yam of the wholesale and retail sectors said that sports and exhibition events are activities that attract different levels of visitors and are starting to bear fruit. He also said the industry needed to think about“How do we keep our high-end guests and keep them for one more night”.