Bigger turnout ensures this year's Book Fair has a happy ending

The seven-day Book Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre attracted a record 829,967 visitors this year, with more people bargain-hunting on the fair's last day yesterday.

But the record could be short-lived, with the fair's organiser, the Trade Development Council, expecting an even bigger turnout next year when the Wan Chai centre's atrium expansion is completed.

TDC assistant executive director Raymond Yip Chak-yan said he believed the record attendance, compared with 760,000 last year, was due to the high number of cultural activities featuring top-notch authors and cultural figures, plus good media coverage.

'We have had more than 180 cultural activities, compared with last year's 150, and more than 34,000 people attended these activities,' he said. 'We hope to strengthen the cultural aspects of the Book Fair.'

At least 6,200 of this year's visitors were tourists, up 50 per cent on last year, Mr Yip said, with 400 travelling as part of tour groups organised by the fair.

He said the completion of the atrium expansion would increase the size of the exhibition area by 40 per cent for next year's 20th-anniversary fair.

'We haven't decided exactly what will be done yet but with more space available, we will have better and more convenient arrangements for visitors,' he said.