People who purchase tickets for the National Games must carry and produce their proof of identity when entering the venue, according to a travel agent which has been given exclusive rights to sell physical tickets in Hong Kong.

China Travel Service, or CTS, says the move is to prevent scalping, although the tickets can be transferred once by having them registered to another person.

Tickets for the quadrennial event, to be held in November across the Greater Bay Area, will go on sale from August 28.

SAR residents can visit one of 11 CTS outlets in Hong Kong, or purchase tickets online at several official platforms.

On an RTHK programme on Thursday, general manager Yeung Sai-hing said the company has set up a customer service hotline, and staff training was now under way.

"Among the 11 outlets, we will extend the opening hours for three of them, located on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories respectively, until 9pm," he said.

"I believe in the early stage, especially when sales begin on the 28th, more people will come to buy the tickets."

He's confident sales will go smoothly, saying the agency had previously handled similar major events such as the Olympics.

Those who wish to transfer their tickets must do so at a CTS outlet no less than seven working days prior to the event, Yeung added, by bringing a copy of the recipient's identification document.

The company is also designing bundled ticket packages with the sector to promote tourism in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui told the same programme that he believes National Games events staged in the SAR will be popular with both tourists and locals.

"I think many tourists or residents have never been to Kai Tak Sports Park," he said.

Using rugby sevens as an example, Chui believes many people who follow the competition will buy tickets, while some also wished to check out the venue and the surrounding environment.

"Because usually if we buy a concert ticket to get into [Kai Tak Stadium], it would cost more than HK$1,000, but now they only need to pay a few hundred. I believe there will be residents or even tourists who are willing to pay this amount of money to enjoy the National Games."