The Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong said on Saturday that planned events and exhibitions under the city's annual "Art March" theme could attract four million visitors to the city and also bring "impressive" economic benefits.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme, Wong said one of the exhibitions that showcases renowned martial arts novelist Jin Yong's works has already attracted mainland tour groups, and the overall events could also strengthen the city's position as an international events hub.

“Every 1.5 million visitors could add a thousandth to our GDP or economic growth. So what does it mean? It means HK$3 billion, and that's pretty impressive, because now we have a total of about HK$3 trillion of GDP,” Wong said.

“Of course, the economic contribution [from these events] is important, but these events can also enrich the lives of residents, while highlighting our position as an international city and hub for major events,” he noted.

The deputy finance chief, who is leading an inter-departmental coordination group to promote the city's mega events, also said the authorities are hoping to publish an annual mega event calendar as early as possible so the tourism and catering sectors are better able to prepare.

He added that if that tourism growth continued, the city could expect to welcome over 50 million visitors this year, up from 34 million last year.

Meanwhile, the permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Joe Wong, said on the same programme that the free entry of one of the displays that features some 200 "glowing eggs" along Victoria Harbour is to "bring joy" to every Hongkonger.

His remarks came after some lawmakers questioned whether this display - a collaboration with the Japanese art collective, teamLab - should charge a fee to raise government revenue.

“In our Art Month events, different events have different nature. For some of these events, we really want to showcase them to residents, to let everyone enjoy it all together, whether you can afford it or not…"

“Some of the events are for creating a better atmosphere, but some are really related to commercial activities.. so they will charge. So there are different approaches to the events,” he noted.

The “glowing eggs” display, along with another display involving two interactive installations by local artists, will cost the government HK$50 million and will be partially paid for by the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund.

Authorities suggested residents make registrations online to reserve visiting time slots to avoid overcrowding at the venue when these displays kick off from March 25.
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Last updated: 2024-03-16 HKT 18:33