Following is a question by the Hon Tang Fei and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, in the Legislative Council today (April 2):
Question:
It is learnt that the Government has actively organised a number of major international conferences, summits, exhibitions and related activities after the epidemic, with a view to promoting economic recovery in Hong Kong and consolidating Hong Kong's international status. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the following information in respect of each of the major international conferences, summits and exhibitions organised in Hong Kong in the past three years: (i) the theme, (ii) the number of participants, and (iii) the proportions of overseas and Mainland participants;
(2) whether it has assessed the actual effectiveness of the major international events mentioned in (1) on the Hong Kong economy, such as the business opportunities created for local industries including hotel, tourism, retail and catering; and
(3) whether it has studied how to enhance Hong Kong's influence in the international arena through organising major international conferences and summits, so as to consolidate Hong Kong's status as an international trading centre and Asia's business hub and further strengthen Hong Kong's role as a "super connector"; if so, whether it can provide specific examples?
Reply:
President,
The convention and exhibition (C&E) industry is crucial to Hong Kong as an international trade centre. Every year, Hong Kong hosts many large-scale international conventions and exhibitions (for example, the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, Cosmoprof Asia, the Belt and Road Summit etc), covering different industries/themes, including electronics, jewellery, gifts, watches and clocks, lighting etc. The number and attendance of the C&E events held in Hong Kong's two dedicated venues for mega C&E events (viz. the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE)) in the past three years are as follows:
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Number of C&E events | About 150 | About 320 | About 350 |
| Attendance* | About 3.52 million | About 6.87 million | About 9.17 million |
*The HKCEC and the AWE do not have the breakdown figures on participants from overseas and the Mainland.
These C&E events have attracted numerous participants (including exhibitors and buyers), not only benefitting the C&E industry but also bringing in high-spending business travellers that drive economic activities in such related sectors as accommodation, catering, retail and entertainment, thereby benefitting various industries and bringing important contributions to Hong Kong's economy. According to the statistics of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, there were about 1.42 million overnight C&E visitors in 2024 and their per capita spending was about $7,800.
In 2025, it is estimated that the HKCEC and the AWE will organise over 140 conventions and 180 exhibitions in total, including large-scale international exhibitions and conferences such as Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, Routes World 2025 and the Asia Financial Forum.
In view of the contribution of C&E events to Hong Kong's overall economy, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government launched the Incentive Scheme for Recurrent Exhibitions (ISRE) in July 2023 which was very well received. As announced in the 2024 Policy Address, the HKSAR Government would allocate an additional provision of $500 million for implementing the ISRE 2.0, subsidising venue rentals of eligible exhibitions organised by private organisers at specified venues (including the Central Harbourfront Event Space and relevant parts of the West Kowloon Cultural District which are newly included in the ISRE 2.0, apart from the HKCEC and the AWE). The ISRE 2.0 will focus on attracting new and recurrent international exhibitions of a large scale to further promote the development of the C&E industry and the mega event economy, thereby generating overall economic benefits for Hong Kong. The ISRE 2.0 will be launched on July 1 this year subject to the Legislative Council's funding approval.
Hong Kong is the world's 10th largest trading entity in merchandise trade and has developed into the region's premier C&E hub. The international large-scale C&E events held here will help enhance Hong Kong's image as an international C&E hub, foster overall economic development and trade, and promote Hong Kong's brands in various industries to assist Hong Kong enterprises in tapping the Mainland and international markets, while reinforcing Hong Kong's position as an international trade centre and fully demonstrating our role as the "super connector" and "super value-adder" between the Mainland and the rest of the world. The HKSAR Government will continue to promote the development of the C&E industry and attract more international large-scale C&E events to be staged in Hong Kong.
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