Government provides financial assistance to Hong Kong Book Fair 2020 exhibitors

     To support local exhibitors affected by the twice-deferred Hong Kong Book Fair 2020, the Government will allocate $10 million under the Anti-epidemic Fund (AEF) to provide a one-off financial assistance of $15,000 to each local exhibitor registered with the event to help them explore the diversification of sales channels in addition to the Book Fair.
 
     "The annual Hong Kong Book Fair is the main sales and promotional platform for the local publishing and printing sector. The Hong Kong Book Fair 2020 was deferred twice due to COVID-19. This has seriously affected the exhibitors. This financial assistance could help them explore online sales or other sales channels before the next edition of the Book Fair, thereby helping tide the trade over this challenging time," a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said.
 
     Around 610 eligible local exhibitors (except government departments) who have registered with the Hong Kong Book Fair originally scheduled for July and/or December last year will benefit. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council, as the organiser of the Hong Kong Book Fair, will soon follow up with the relevant exhibitors on the disbursement arrangements. Funding would be disbursed to the exhibitors concerned within around four weeks following verification of relevant information. It is anticipated that the majority of payments could made within May.
 
     Subject to the development of the pandemic, the next edition of the Book Fair is tentatively scheduled for July 2021. The Government has already reserved $40 million under the second round of the AEF to implement the Printing and Publishing Sector Subsidy Scheme, to fully subsidise the participation fees of exhibitors (except government departments) for the coming Hong Kong Book Fair, subject to a cap of $100,000 for local exhibitors and $10,000 for non-local exhibitors.