Mr. He, who has been running a restaurant in Kai Tak, Hong Kong for about 4 years, said that this is the "most popular" year for the restaurant. Since the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park in March, every concert or sports event has been so busy that one's feet are not touching the ground, resulting in an increase of about 30% in revenue. In 2025, Nicholas Tse and Jay Chou will successively start singing in Hong Kong; Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo's visit to Hong Kong, the 15th National Games (referred to as the "15th Games"), the World Table Tennis Professional League (WTT), and other major events have been "wave after wave". Hong Kong Legislative Council member and Chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Huo Qigang, described to reporters from China News Service that in the past year, Hong Kong's cultural and sports events have flourished and diversified, bringing strong impetus to the tourism industry and showcasing the diverse charm of Asia's event capital to the world. The two consecutive policy addresses of the sixth term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have focused heavily on promoting the coordinated development of culture, sports, and tourism. In 2024, they proposed to take the initiative to attract different events to be held in Hong Kong, with both quality and quantity, to stimulate the retail and hotel industries; In 2025, the concept of "events+tourism" will be further emphasized. Policy building platforms enable the 'grand event economy' to demonstrate strong momentum in gathering popularity and boosting wealth. According to the latest report released by Pollstar, an authoritative magazine in the American music industry, Kai Tak Sports Park has hosted over 90 local and international events, sold a total of 1.25 million tickets, and generated a total revenue of over 191 million US dollars, both of which rank first in Asia; According to previous data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, a total of about 45 million visitors were recorded in the first 11 months of this year, an increase of 12% year-on-year, surpassing the total number of visitors in 2024. The momentum of the 'event economy' is very good, which has enhanced the overall tourism atmosphere in Hong Kong. ”In the view of Yao Bailiang, a member of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Legislative Council and chairman of Hong Kong China Travel Service, this is not only due to the continuous improvement of "hard" strength, such as complete infrastructure and convenient transportation networks, but also inseparable from Hong Kong's consistent "soft" advantages, such as international talents and professional services. The 15th National Games, jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, is a good example. A volunteer team of over 16000 people in the Hong Kong competition area, who not only understand "two languages and three dialects", but also excel in "local dialects" such as Chaoshan and Hakka; The vast high-speed rail network enables passengers to travel between the three locations to enjoy convenient viewing and driving the growth of hotel, catering, and retail consumption. Cui Dingbang, the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, said that the 15th National Games have made the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area no longer limited to a concept, but a unique tourism brand, demonstrating the attractiveness of the "multi stop" tourism model. Huo Qigang believes that the subsequent positive effects of the 15th National Games will continue to be released. The resource sharing and communication cooperation platform established by this event will provide a solid foundation for the three regions to jointly host international large-scale events and comprehensive sports games in the future. "From the National Games to the world, we must take one step at a time and make the Greater Bay Area a world-renowned sports event bay area. The industry's response injects a continuous stream of vitality into the "event economy". We are committed to creating cultural, ecological and other in-depth tourism products, and have also begun to attach importance to local creative IP development, promoting cross-border cooperation. ”Yao Bailiang said. From the adorable dragon and phoenix cubs of the giant pandas in the Ocean Park, "Jia Jia" and "De De", to the "Labubu" created by Belgian Hong Kong illustrator Long Jiasheng, "Fu" cruising on a donut in Victoria Harbour, it has sparked a global buying frenzy. More unique IPs will take root and empower the recovery of the tourism industry through cross-border cooperation. Driven by the "event economy", Hong Kong's "popularity" and "wealth" have fully converged. The Hong Kong SAR government continues to strengthen various safety measures, improve event facilities and supporting services, and present a "hospitable" Hong Kong while cultivating more major events. Cui Dingbang, who has led tour groups multiple times, has noticed that Hong Kong's new image and good reputation are spreading among more domestic and foreign tourists through word of mouth. (New Society)