Crowds flock to ‘Chubby Hearts Hong Kong’, but economic value of balloon display still up in the air
- Tourism group, lawmaker says mega event for large scale artworks seen by hundreds of thousands of people, but latter unsure if pieces deserve special status
- Hong Kong Design Centre is seeking HK$7.8 million in government funding for event; authorities yet to confirm payout
The huge crowds who turned out to see “Chubby Hearts Hong Kong” are proof the playful art installation is a success, a top tourism body and lawmaker have argued, but the latter questioned the economic benefits brought by the display.
The Hong Kong Design Centre launched the project in Central on Valentine’s Day and has asked the government for HK$7.8 million (US$997,170) to help cover the costs, but authorities have yet to hand out the money.
The centre on Sunday said the main installation, with a diameter of 12 metres (39 feet), and smaller copies dotted around the city attracted more than 200,000 people in the first three days of the event, with tourists accounting for more than 20 per cent of the figure.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, the executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said he felt the numbers indicated a good “level of visitor participation”.
The display was also being widely promoted on mainland Chinese social media, he added.
Chui said that shelling out government funds for the display would be money “well spent” as competition among tourism-reliant cities was fierce.
“I think the brand effect and internationalisation displayed in the event are what Hong Kong needs now,” he added.