Following is a question by the Hon Vincent Cheng and a written reply by the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, in the Legislative Council today (May 13):

Question:

     In recent years, Hong Kong has organised a number of international sports and cultural mega events, attracting a large number of visitors and injecting economic vitality into the local community. There are views that the Government should strategically explore ways to transform the visitor flow brought by mega events into sustainable spending power and enable various sectors such as food and beverage, retail, hotels, transportation, cultural and creative industries as well as shops to enjoy the benefits, thereby injecting impetus into the district economy and allowing members of the public to share the benefits brought by mega events. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) given that following the enhancement of the "M" Mark System, event organisers are required to conduct exit survey with participants (including visitors) and submit reports so as to evaluate the effectiveness of the events (including attendance and economic benefits) more effectively, how the Government will make use of the data collected to formulate more precise plans for tourism supporting facilities and promotion strategies for the district economy; and whether similar data collection mechanisms will be extended to non-"M" Mark mega events for statistical purposes;

(2) whether the Government will proactively co-ordinate with organisers of mega events and business operators across the territory to provide ticket stub discounts, covering hotels, transportation and other tourist attractions, so as to increase the incentives for visitors to stay and spend in Hong Kong, expand the benefit coverage of mega events, and enable more restaurants and business operators to enjoy the benefits;

(3) the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has for many years implemented the "Hong Kong Neighbourhoods" promotion programme to encourage visitors to experience Hong Kong's local characteristics in depth, of the number of thematic guided tours or activities organised since the launch of the programme, the total number of participants and the percentage of tourists participating in such activities (set out in a table); whether the authorities have evaluated the effectiveness of the programme in fostering the district economy since its launch; if so, of the results achieved; if not, the reasons for that;

(4) as it is learnt that the HKTB will revamp the "Hong Kong Neighbourhoods" promotion programme by launching various thematic travel guides, of the specific direction and timetable of the relevant work, as well as the districts expected to be covered by the programme; whether the authorities will give priority to enhancing the existing "Sham Shui Po" and "West Kowloon" promotion campaigns, for example, by incorporating travel itineraries featuring the Ex-Sham Shui Po Service Reservoir and Garden Hill into the "Sham Shui Po" promotion campaign; and

(5) whether the Government will consider integrating existing policy initiatives and promotion programmes (e.g. the "Hong Kong Neighbourhoods" and promotion campaigns for tourist hotspots) and forging crossover collaboration with mega events, so as to promote Hong Kong tourism and stimulate the district economy in a more systematic manner, thereby maximising the overall benefits?

Reply:

President,

     Organising mega events bears strategic significance for promoting Hong Kong and driving its economic and tourism development. These events not only attract visitors to experience Hong Kong in person, but also create business opportunities for various sectors, including hotel, catering, retail and transport. To better assess the results and economic benefits of mega events funded by the Government, different funding schemes require event organisers to specify key performance indicators and collect data during events. These data facilitate the review on the effectiveness of the events and serve as objective reference for preparatory work of similar events in future so as to refine the arrangement of various events.   

(1) Under the enhanced "M" Mark System, event organisers are required to appoint independent professional agents to conduct exit surveys with participants (including visitors) to evaluate the effectiveness of the events (including attendance and economic benefits). Likewise, the operation of the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund was enhanced, requiring applicants to engage a third party to conduct exit survey and provide documentary proof (such as survey results, online responses and ticket sales, etc) for the achievements/deliverables so to derive the economic impact of the events. Besides, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will set different indicators for its flagship events, such as website views, social media reach, global media exposure, participants' satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, intention to revisit, etc to measure the effectiveness. The HKTB will review the results of the indicators after the events, as a reference for planning similar activities in future. In addition, having regard to the nature, scale and other specific details of individual events and activities funded by the HKTB, suitable indicators are set for monitoring the progress and effectiveness, such as performance indicators in terms of total number of attendees, number of non-local attendees, publicity value, satisfaction level of attendees, etc.   

     The Government has all along encouraged event organisers or tourist spots to collect data with a view to assessing the economic benefit of the events. Through analysing data, event organisers or tourist spots can develop an understanding of visitors' accommodation patterns as well as their dining and shopping habits during the event. This enhances the design of tourism products during events period (for example, thematic tourism routes, packaged offers, joint promotions, and ancillary activities), thereby stimulating overall spending and benefiting businesses across different districts, capitalising the economic benefit of mega events.   

(2) Apart from promoting and funding mega events, the Government welcomes and encourages the industry to utilise the footfall and opportunities brought by mega events. We note that trade associations, the industry and merchants have launched ticket stub discounts during mega events with a view to making the most out of the footfall brought by mega events and stimulating more commercial activities. Eateries in Kowloon City offered discounts on food and beverage, free parking, and other benefits upon presentation of ticket stubs during the Hong Kong Sevens. A trade association, together with bar merchants in Wan Chai, launched discounts during the Labour Day Golden Week, allowing customers to enjoy food and beverage offers by presenting event tickets.   

     In addition to various measures introduced by the trade in attracting tourists and the public, the HKTB has endeavoured to leverage on the impact of mega events by launching thematic promotions with special offers and joint campaigns during travel peak seasons to stimulate visitor spending. Last year, during the Hong Kong WinterFest, the HKTB partnered with the Quality Tourism Services Association and the Hong Kong Retail Management Association to launch "WinterFest Delights", a thematic promotional campaign with special offers on dining, shopping and attractions, etc. This campaign received positive response. Building on last year's success, the HKTB will roll out thematic promotions with special offers and joint campaigns while linking up citywide mega events in summer and winter this year to further boost visitor spending.

(3) to (5) The HKTB has been promoting the "Hong Kong Neighbourhoods" programme to encourage visitors to experience Hong Kong's local characteristics in depth from different perspectives. So far, the programme has covered "Old Town Central", "Sham Shui Po" and "West Kowloon", promoting local neighbourhoods beyond traditional tourist attractions and showcasing the culture, characteristics and history of local communities.  

     The programme has received support from merchants and the travel trade. Related guided tours launched by the travel trade are also well-received by visitors. For example, travel agencies organised various local in-depth tours during the recent Labour Day Golden Week. The itineraries, featuring the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, guide visitors to tour both skyscrapers in the business district in Central and historic buildings, including the St. John's Cathedral, the former French Mission Building, Hollywood Road, Man Mo Temple, etc. These in-depth tourism products cater to the recent shift in travel patterns from shopping and traditional attractions to cultural in-depth travel experiences with diverse options and allow visitors to gain first-hand experiences of the city's unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures and history. Since these guided tours are organised by private organisations, the Government does not maintain statistics on the number of participants and the proportion of visitors to total participants.  

     The HKTB will progressively enhance the "Hong Kong Neighbourhoods" experience this year. In addition to revamping the existing "Old Town Central", "Sham Shui Po" and "West Kowloon" programme and introducing new contents, the HKTB will further extend the programme to other districts and enrich visitors' experience to attract them to come back again to explore the local culture, thereby stimulating consumption in the districts.  

     Moreover, to encourage visitors to experience Hong Kong's local characteristics in-depth, following the launch of the "Taste Hong Kong" Gourmet Guide in January 2026 to encourage visitors to savour a wide variety of local delicacies in different districts, the HKTB will launch more thematic experience guides covering different districts across the city, featuring movies, culture, etc, with a view to attracting visitors to explore different parts of Hong Kong and expand their footprints, thereby stimulating consumption in different districts.

Ends/Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:37

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