Hong Kong: Three events concluded after a seven-day run

23.07.2024

The 34th HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair, 7th HKTDC Sports and Leisure Expo and 4th HKTDC World of Snacks, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded after a successful seven-day run.

The three cultural and leisure events saw an enthusiastic response from the public, says the HKTDC. And they featured 760 exhibitors, with diverse activities and interactive experiences at the Book Fair, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the enjoyment of reading, exciting sports experiences and mouthwatering global treats.

Sophia Chong, acting executive director of the HKTDC, expressed delight at the strong industry and public support for the three summer events. "The Book Fair continued its tradition of bringing people together through literature, with seminars achieving remarkable popularity and attracting many visitors from Mainland China to participate. Books related to the events theme, Film and TV Literature, were particularly sought-after. The World of Art & Culture featured film and television exhibits from 31 countries and regions, complemented by diverse cultural activities and interactive facilities, allowing visitor to read the world from page to screen and further enhancing Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange. The concurrent Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks, with a wide range of experiences and delicacies, also attracted visitors from near and far and helped to stimulate local consumption."

The HKTDC commissioned a research institute to interview more than 820 visitors over the Book Fair period, providing an in-depth analysis of booklovers’ reading habits and spending preferences. The average spending of surveyed visitors at this year’s Book Fair was HK$912, up 4.6% year on year, and accounting for 74% of their annual print book expenditure. This highlighted the fair's appeal as an important promotional and sales platform for the publishing industry. In addition, about 90% of exhibitors at the three fairs offered an electronic payment service, while 72% of interviewed visitors used electronic payments for their transactions.

The survey also showed that the most popular book categories among readers were fiction and novels (47%), comics (21%), children and youth-related books (19%), travel (18%), and literature (16%). In terms of e-books, 65% of respondents said they had read e-books in the past month with an average reading time of 16 hours. The main reasons for people visiting the Book Fair were to purchase newly released books (55%), enjoy discounts when buying books (53%) and to experience the cultural atmosphere at an international book fair (30%).