The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said on Sunday that the government aims to demonstrate Hong Kong's ability to host major events, adding that the events can boost economic activity and showcase the city's diversity.

The government has announced plans to organise more than 80 mega-events in the first half of this year, covering sports, festivals and cultural activities. Yeung stressed that this wide variety of events will give tourists many options when visiting the city.

However, Yeung stressed that the economic benefits should not be measured solely in terms of tourist arrivals.

“Of course the direct economic benefits will be the number of tourists coming to attend these mega events as that will bring a lot of other related incomes, for example the accommodation as well as their spending in Hong Kong," he said.

“But more importantly, the mega events bring a lot of for example management, administration, organisation, as well as the promotion of Hong Kong as a major event capital which I think will also be beneficial to Hong Kong in the long term."

He cited the upcoming visit of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami football team as an example, noting that this will not only generate sports excitement, but also boost business in other industries.

He said the government is currently in talks with the team about hosting more events beyond the friendly and open training session.

Meanwhile, Yeung estimated that Hong Kong would welcome around 1.2 million to 1.3 million visitors during the Lunar New Year holiday, returning to pre-pandemic levels.