Lawmaker Regina Ip has called on the government to lure international music acts such as Taylor Swift and Beyonce to Hong Kong, citing the economic boost that their concerts could bring.
Speaking at a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, Ip said concerts could stimulate industries such as tourism and retail. The 66 concerts that Swift staged last year yielded US$1 billion, she said.
See also: Why do int’l music acts appear to be shunning Hong Kong?
“In Asia, [Swift is going] to Singapore,” Ip said in Cantonese. “We lost this chance.”
The American singer, who completed the first legs of her tour in the US and South America last year, is skipping Hong Kong on her world tour. She will hold six shows in Singapore in March.
A tourism boom linked to Swift’s concerts is expected there, with fans across Asia flying in to catch the artist. Hotels have reported an increase in bookings over Swift’s concert dates, media reported, while travel searches for Singapore also spiked when ticket sales opened.
Singapore’s tourism board supported entertainment group AEG Presents Asia to bring Swift to the country.
“Will the government actively seek out these world-class acts, such as Beyonce or mainland Chinese dinglius?” Ip asked, using a Chinese term meaning celebrities that have a strong online following.
Ip’s comments followed her question to Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung, in which she asked what authorities were doing to attract world-renowned singers to Hong Kong – for example, by identifying venues and arranging visas.
She also asked if the government would promote the main stadium at Kai Tak Sports Park – set to open this year – as a concert venue to lure international acts.
In response, Yeung said in Cantonese the number of concerts in Hong Kong had “gradually returned to the pre-pandemic level,” with venues including the AsiaWorld-Expo and Central Harbourfront Event Space seeing large-scale events attracting audiences of up to 20,000.
“On average, there were about two internationally renowned singers holding large-scale concerts with an audience of more than 10,000 each month in 2023, and most of them were holding more than one concert,” Yeung added.
Ip criticised Yeung’s answer as “extremely bureaucratic” and said he did not answer her questions.
A number of international acts have left Hong Kong off their world tours in recent months, including Coldplay, Harry Styles and Lewis Capaldi. Industry insiders have said the snub could be due to a lack of suitable venues or the fact that Hong Kong still had Covid-19 restrictions in place when the tours were being planned.
‘Everybody is talking about Taylor Swift’
The lawmaker’s question came as Hong Kong continues to struggle with slow post-pandemic economic recovery, which authorities have attributed to external factors such as high interest rates globally.
The government has launched a series of initiatives aimed at boosting the economic outlook, among them a “night vibes” campaign in September involving movie screenings and night markets along the harbourfront. Last year, the government worked with airlines to give away 500,000 plane tickets for visitors to come to the city as part of its “Happy Hong Kong” drive.
Other lawmakers on Wednesday also pressed Yeung on whether the government would step up efforts to attract international acts to Hong Kong.
Legislator Peter Shiu said large-scale events and concerts were important to the city’s economy. He said that if the government “took the extra step” to invite singers to Hong Kong, their chances of coming would be higher.
Holden Chow, another lawmaker, said other countries were making an effort to entice world-class acts and Hong Kong should do the same.
“Everybody is talking about Taylor Swift because her concerts can really bring tremendous economic benefit,” Chow said. “Will the government think of ways to approach these stars, or work with private organisers to do so?”
Yeung said in response that “on principle,” the government welcomes “everyone” to come to Hong Kong as all acts have their own fanbase. He said authorities could contact the agents of these acts to see if there was interest in coming to the city.
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