EVENTS at Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Sports Park Stadium based on a multi-day festival concept are energising the local visitor economy, according to the city’s top official.
Attendances at the park’s showpiece 50,00-seat stadium for the Hong Kong Football Festival have reached near capacity levels with a match between Liverpool and AC Milan bringing 49,704 spectators. The festival continues tonight (Thursday) with a game between north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
The success of the latest events at Kai Tak Sports Park follows the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens weekend in March followed four concerts by British group Coldplay and Asia stars such as Nicholas Tse and upcoming performances by Blackpink.
Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive John Lee revealed a 17 per cent increase in overseas visitors in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2024. The increase in visitor numbers came amid a mega-events campaign spearheaded by officials that covers conferences and other business events.
The football festival followed a friendly between Hong Kong and India at Kai Tak stadium in June attended by 42,500 fans.
In addition to underlining the huge popularity of global soccer giants in Hong Kong and across Asia, the city’s football festival also highlights the economic benefits of stadium events.
Melbourne is the only city in Australia to host two games of the current British & Irish Lions rugby tour of Australia. Officials in the State of Victoria expect to see an increase from the AU$90 million (about US$58m) in economic impact when nearly 25,000 Lions visited Melbourne in 2013.
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“Events like this create jobs… from hotel staff and tour operators to baristas, bartenders, event crews and more – and deliver real benefits to local businesses across the state,” said Steve Dimopoulos, Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events.
Among the other sporting mega-events held in Melbourne are the F1 Grand Prix, the tennis Grand Slam, games by American football’s NFL teams, basketball NBA in addition to concerts by popular music legends such as Taylor Swift. Melbourne Cricket Ground hosted the second test of the Lions three-part series against Australia while the Marvel Stadium held a midweek game between the Lions and the First Nations Pasifika team. The third test against Australia is scheduled for Sydney this weekend.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong Tourism Board chairman Peter Lam has welcomed an upbeat report on the city’s business environment issued by the regional government, saying the strengths outlined are vital for the MICE industry.
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“The Report on Hong Kong’s Business Environment clearly outlines Hong Kong’s unique advantages of being backed by the Mainland while connected to the world,” said Lam.
“These strengths are pivotal for Hong Kong in attracting large-scale meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions events to the city, drawing high-value visitors; tapping into emerging markets such as the Middle East and ASEAN to foster cultural exchange; promoting world-class events to enrich visitor experiences; and advancing multi-destination travel in collaboration with other cities in the Greater Bay Area to leverage complementary strengths.”
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“Hong Kong recorded 24 million visitor arrivals in the first half of 2025, representing a 12 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. Among them, non-mainland [China] visitors grew by 17 per cent to reach 5.84 million.
‘HKTB will continue to build on this positive momentum and fully leverage and promote Hong Kong’s unique strengths by launching various promotional campaigns to attract visitors, drive tourism development, and reinforce Hong Kong’s important role in deepening international exchange,” Lam added.
