Hong Kong to host ‘1 mega event every 2 days’ as city adds 60 more to this year’s line-up

Hong Kong will host “one mega event every two days” in the coming six months, the city’s leader has said, announcing 60 activities have been added to this year’s calendar.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that this year’s line-up of 210 mega events was expected to bring in about 1.7 million travellers, contributing HK$4.3 billion (US$551 million) to the local economy.

The mega events will include artistic and creative activities, sports competitions, large-scale conferences, trade exhibitions and financial summits, among others.

“I’ve mentioned many times that the government will not rely on one way to boost the local economy … the variety of events hosted in Hong Kong will create opportunities for attracting people and fortune,” Lee said ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting.

Lee also said the city was also discussing with central authorities about increasing the current duty-free allowance from the current limit of 5,000 yuan (US$692), but stopped short of revealing the extent of the proposed increase.

Some politicians such as Starry Lee Wai-king, the city’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, earlier called for rise in the duty-free allowance on personal goods from 5,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan.