Hong Kong to host over 100 mega events in second half of year, including many ‘value for money’ attractions

Deputy financial secretary says events expected to attract 1.7 million travellers, generate spending of HK$7.2 billion and add HK$4.3 billion to local economy

City also expects to spend HK$200 million on subsidies for events this financial year, down from HK$330 million in the last

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Visitors packed the Art Basel event at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on March 28. Photo: Eugene Lee

Published: 5:32pm, 21 May 2024Updated: 7:07am, 22 May 2024

Hong Kong will host more than 100 mega events in the second half of the year, including 15 new shows, conferences and exhibitions, which the government says are “value for money” in terms of attracting visitors and bringing economic benefits to the city.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun on Tuesday announced a list of mega events added to the city’s calendar between July and December.

These include 42 large-scale conferences, 25 artistic and creative activities, 15 sports competitions, 13 functions related to finance, the economy and the innovation and technology sector, and 11 festive events.

To attract visitors to the city, the government was also discussing the possibility of preserving sets of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, a hit martial arts film featuring Kowloon Walled City, and turning them into exhibits, Wong said.

Including mega events that had already taken place, the city will hold more than 210 mega events by year’s end. This is expected to attract 1.7 million travellers, stimulate spending of HK$7.2 billion (US$92.3 million) and add HK$4.3 billion to the economy.

Wong explained that these figures were an estimate and emphasised that the mega events were “value for money” for Hong Kong since the city would be gaining a lot more as compared to what the government would be spending on subsidies this year.