Hong Kong officials urged to reveal mega event line-up 6 months in advance to allow tourist trade to create products for visitors
- Caspar Tsui of Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners says city lacks mindset to connect all events and advertise them as package for tourists to stay longer
- ‘The [mega] events are all great, but if you are going to tell me about it a week ahead, I’m not going to be able to sell packages in time,’ he adds
Hong Kong’s calendar of mega events should be released at least six months in advance to give the tourist trade time to create products to sell to visitors, industry insiders have said.
“The [mega] events are all great, but if you are going to tell me about it a week ahead, I’m not going to be able to sell packages in time,” Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, said on Monday.
“Also, I don’t have time to get in touch with the catering, retail and travel agencies around me to coordinate our products.”
He said the city currently lacked the mindset to connect all events and advertise them as a package so that tourists would stay longer.
Earlier this year, the city hosted the Fortune Innovation Forum, followed by a number of art events such as Art Central, before concluding with the Rugby Sevens in March and April.
“The financial event brought in a lot of high-spending tourists … the other events can potentially cause them to come a few days earlier or stay a few days more.”
