Dior fashion show, giant inflatable Chubby Hearts, Louis Cha ‘Jin Yong’ showcase and pop art festival among Hong Kong economy-boosting events
- Three major events over next two months expected to bring in at least 600,000 tourists
- City leader earlier pledged to try to bring global superstars such as Taylor Swift to Hong Kong
A Dior fashion show, giant inflatable hearts, statues of characters from the novels of late martial arts writer Louis Cha Leung-yung and a pop art festival are among the highlights of coming major events aimed at boosting Hong Kong’s economy.
Adrian Cheng Chi-kong, chairman of a government committee set up to attract mega shows to the city, on Friday said three arts and cultural events in the next two months were expected to bring in at least 600,000 tourists.
“Chubby Hearts”, an arts installation by British fashion designer Anya Hindmarch, will make its debut in Hong Kong on Valentine’s Day, while the ComplexCon pop art show will take place outside the United States for the first time in March.
Much fanfare will surround French luxury brand Dior’s global event in Hong Kong on March 23. Dior artistic director Kim Jones will present his men’s autumn collection in the city.
Dior is returning to Hong Kong for the first time since showcasing its men’s winter collection at Shaw Studios in 2016. It will also be the second global brand to host a fashion event locally in recent months after Louis Vuitton’s first-ever Hong Kong runway show at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in November.
“All the events will boost tourism, hotels and hospitality and retail,” said Cheng, chairman of the government’s Mega Arts and Cultural Events Committee and who was credited with pulling strings to bring the Dior show to Hong Kong.
Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun promised that the government would take a proactive approach so the city could attract and host world events related to arts and culture, as well as shopping and dining.
Wong said Hong Kong would host more than 80 mega events in the first six months of the year, aiming to “bring joy and pride” to locals and tourists alike while boosting the economy and promoting the city’s image on the global stage.
These include 16 sporting occasions, 25 trade shows, financial summits and cultural events.
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Wong said he would set up and chair a cross-departmental unit to provide support to mega-event organisers to ensure a smooth process when it came to seeking government approval on licences, crowd management and traffic arrangements.
“We will also step up the marketing of mega events in the city so that the public will be aware of them,” he said.
Tourism Board chairman Pang Yiu-kai said liaising with organisers through the new unit quickly would help Hong Kong snag more opportunities in the future.
“These mega events and performances often approach several cities at the same time. If we are able to coordinate our efforts better, speedier, and respond more efficiently, they will come to us rather than go to somebody else,” he said.
Cheng, executive chairman of property firm New World Development, said a collaboration between the Hong Kong Design Centre and Hindmarch would include a 12-metre (39-foot) red heart floating in Statue Square in Central starting on Valentine’s Day on February 14.
Another three hearts, each measuring three metres, will pop up at various sites across the city including the Flower Market in Mong Kok, Lam Tsuen in Tai Po and Kennedy Town. He said the event could bring in 100,000 tourists and would also attract a number of residents eager to take selfies.
Between March 15 and July 2, a display marking the centenary of the birth of Louis Cha, also known as Jin Yong, would feature martial arts figures from the late writer’s novels and was expected to attract 460,000 tourists, Cheng said.
ComplexCon, which brings together pop culture, music, art, food, sports, innovation and education, will run in Hong Kong from March 22 to 24 at AsiaWorld-Expo and is expected to attract 30,000 people from across the region.
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“We aim to cultivate the cultural landscape in Hong Kong through these events,” Cheng said.
Wong said government economists had estimated that every 1.5 million tourists could generate 0.1 per cent growth in gross domestic product, while the “invisible benefits” of visitors to the city’s reputation were equally important.
“We don’t only look at the economic benefits of tourism, visitors have told us they found Hong Kong to be vibrant, dynamic and safe,” he said.
He added these tourists were Hong Kong’s “best ambassadors” whose efforts in promoting the city could not be neglected.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu earlier pledged to try to bring superstars such as Taylor Swift to the city in an effort to reboot the sluggish economy.
Several international celebrities skipped Hong Kong in their Asia tours. For example, Swift will only stop in Japan and Singapore for her 2024 tour, while British rock band Coldplay will perform in Singapore and Thailand.
Hong Kong last year welcomed 34 million tourists, representing 65 per cent of the pre-Covid numbers in 2019.
The government in November lowered its full-year forecast for Hong Kong’s economic growth in 2023 to 3.2 per cent. The figure was revised down from the earlier forecast of 4 to 5 per cent, with the city’s post-Covid recovery slower than expected.
