100 mega events in HK to attract 1.7 mn visitors in next six months

100 mega events spotlighting the arts, fashion, kung fu

Over 100 mega events spotlighting the arts, fashion, kung fu and others will be held in Hong Kong within the next six months, according to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

China Daily quoted Lee as saying that the forthcoming events, comprising 60 new entries to the city's events calendar, are anticipated to attract approximately 1.7 million visitors to Hong Kong and stimulate around HK$7.2 billion (US$923 million) in consumer expenditure.

At his regular news conference on Tuesday, Lee said that 60 mega events will be added to the line-up in the second half of this year. In total, the number of events scheduled for 2024 will climb to 210, an increase of over 40 percent on plans made at the beginning of the year.

“This means that Hong Kong will have at least one mega event every two days,” Lee said.

The 100-plus events to be staged over the following months will include cultural and creative activities, festival parades, sports competitions, trade fairs, financial summits and more.

Lee said that the total number of visitor arrivals reached 14.62 million in the first four months of this year — double that of the same period last year.

He added that the number of visitors from the United States, Canada and Indonesia increased by 80 percent in April, with most of these visitors staying for more than one day.

The city’s aviation transportation capacity is expected to have returned to its pre-COVID levels by the end of this year, making it easier for more long-haul passengers to visit Hong Kong, the CEO said.

He also thanked the central government for the recent measures it has put in place to benefit Hong Kong, such as its expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme to more mainland cities.

The HKSAR government will continue to work with the central government in the hope of seeing more tourism-boosting measures implemented, such as increasing the tax allowance for Chinese mainland visitors, to stimulate the local retail market, Lee added.