The government on Monday said it expects the convention and exhibition industry to reach or exceed pre-Covid levels this year as some activities that left during the pandemic have returned to Hong Kong.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau said about 150 conferences and 160 exhibitions would be held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and AsiaWorld-Expo on Lantau this year.

He noted that there was a strong rebound in the industry in the second half of last year, with 1.2 million people taking part in convention and exhibition activities.

Yau said exhibitions that had previously moved to places such as Singapore and Dubai are now returning, including Vinexpo Asia.

He added that upcoming shows such as US fashion carnival ComplexCon and South Korean music festival KCON will be held in Hong Kong for the first time.

Yau said the trade is important to the economy as convention delegates tend to spend more than regular travellers.

"The expenditure per person per day is about HK$7,200, which is 23 percent higher than the normal overnight travelers," he said.

"And with all these exhibitions to be held in Hong Kong overnight and attracting all the people joining the exhibitions, the exhibitors and the travelers, we are very confident the spending power or the spending total will be very similar and will continue to contribute to the economy development."

The government launched a HK$1.4 billion sponsorship scheme last year to attract exhibitions.

Yau said it had been successful, with more than 60 exhibitions in the first six months - more than officials had expected.