By Farah Master
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong is kicking off its most popular sporting event the Rugby Sevens on Friday and hosting international art fair Art Basel as part of a tourism drive that authorities hope will boost visits to the Asian financial hub.
The Chinese-controlled territory has seen tourists increasingly return since last year following three years of strict COVID-19 restrictions that led to an exodus of expatriates and dragged down visitor numbers.
In 2024, arrivals had rebounded to 68% of the record levels of 2018, but the city faces challenges in fully reviving the industry due to heightened air ticket prices and a worker shortage that have made it harder to compete with rival destinations such as Singapore, according to industry experts.
The Hong Kong government’s “Super March” tourism promotions are designed to provide a major stimulus for the sector.
The Cathay Pacific and HSBC sponsored Rugby Sevens event, held at the city’s new Kai Tak stadium, has sold a record number of tickets, including all suites and corporate boxes, in an indicator of corporate demand, its organiser said.
The Sevens, which runs from Friday to Sunday, has seen strong overseas demand for hotels, with bookings during the period exceeding normal overseas growth rates by 20%, according to the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners.
Art Basel, which is also being held from Friday to Sunday, has exceeded expectations with growth of more than 130% year-on-year driven by strong performances from East and Southeast Asian countries, said Caspar Tsui, the federation’s executive director.
Provisional visitor numbers for January and February rose 7% year-on-year according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which added that the number of non-mainland Chinese visitors surged 20% to 1.91 million.
The Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea all posted year-on-year growth of more than 30% for the first two months of this year, the tourism board said, adding that Australia showed an “exceptional boost of 34%” in tourist numbers to Hong Kong during that period.
In early April, the city is set to host a string of highly anticipated concerts by British rock band Coldplay. The group skipped Hong Kong in 2023 on its Asia tour as did American singer Taylor Swift, who performed multiple shows in Japan and Singapore.
Coldplay is set to play at the Kai Tak stadium where the Sevens will also be held. The 50,000-seat stadium is the city’s first venue that is large enough to host big international acts and has been touted by the government and business executives as a catalyst for the former British colony.
“It’s a game-changer for Hong Kong because we missed out on all the stars before, like Taylor Swift, and all the acts going to Singapore,” said Allan Zeman, a prominent businessman and economic adviser to Hong Kong’s leader John Lee.
He said Lan Kwai Fong, a nightlife strip in the city’s financial district that is popular with international visitors and residents, has seen business up 8% to 10% at the start of March from February.
“It’s livening finally!” Zeman said.
“It’s been awhile.”
(Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Jamie Freed)
