Mega-events brought HK$5.8 billion visitor spending
SCMP · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago1 MIN
Summary
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said visitors to Hong Kong spent HK$5.8 billion during major events in the first half of the year. He said more than 130 events between January and June attracted about 1.75 million visitors and generated HK$3.3 billion in economic value added.
Key Points
- In his weekly blog on Sunday, Paul Chan said first-half mega-events brought about 1.75 million visitors and HK$5.8 billion in spending to Hong Kong.
- Average spending per traveller during those events was HK$3,314, while the related economic value added was about HK$3.3 billion.
- Chan said art, cultural and mega-events helped lift sentiment and demand, with retail sales value rising for 14 straight months and 9.6 per cent in the first half.
- The Hong Kong Football Festival and Audi Football Summit, held soon after the Fifa World Cup, were among the highlighted attractions.
- Chan said the three football matches drew more than 120,000 visitors and generated over HK$180 million in ticket sales.
Why It Matters
The government is using event-led tourism to support consumption, retail turnover and Hong Kong’s wider services economy. With more than 100 events planned for the second half, officials are also tying the strategy to the city’s international branding ahead of October’s Apec finance ministers’ meeting.