Is Hong Kong finally ready to reopen to the world in 2023? From the Rugby Sevens to Clockenflap, the return of major international events and reduced travel restrictions spell a rosier year ahead

As Hong Kong begins lifting its pandemic-related travel restrictions, hope is rising that the city is now open for business again and ready to reconnect with the world. From the start of this week, travellers from overseas need only take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival at the airport and on their second day in Hong Kong. The scrapping of PCR tests on visitors’ fourth and sixth days was confirmed by undersecretary for health Libby Lee Ha-yun in a press conference last week. While the requirement for a daily rapid antigen test (RAT) for seven days after arrival remains in effect, altogether these small steps represent strides in the right direction for getting the city back into its former rhythm. And the beat has already been set. Hong Kong has just concluded a string of high-profile live events, including the Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit, hosted on November 1-3, followed immediately by the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens on November 4-6 – welcome signs that the city’s isolation is ending. “We are encouraged by the overwhelming responses from both the international and local financial communities,” said Eddie Yue, chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), after the conclusion of the three-day Global Financial Leaders’ Summit. “The summit demonstrated the global financial sector’s commitment to Hong Kong. My sincere thanks to all participants, especially those travelling from abroad,” he said. The summit attracted more than 200 international and regional leaders from around 120 global financial institutions including banks, asset managers, sovereign wealth funds, private equity and venture capital firms. More than 40 institutions were represented by their group chairman or CEO. Yue said participants and visitors benefited from the summit by reconnecting in person with their staff, clients and stakeholders in Hong Kong. The 10 best bars in Hong Kong: from Argo and The Aubrey to 001 Recent live events appear to have served as lightning rods for discussions that led to more restrictions being lifted. The Rugby Sevens won government approval to allow eating in the stands at the Hong Kong Stadium in late October, after spectators were initially told they would only be served drinks. That set a precedent for other live events to make full comebacks. After a four-and-half-year hiatus, home-grown music festival Clockenflap will return to the Central Harbourfront early next year, switching up from its normal late-November slot. With a confirmed three-day runtime, from March 3-5, a full festival experience is expected, with multiple outdoor stages and F&B outlets, alongside the usual diverse line-up of international, regional and local acts. The annual event was cancelled in 2019 due to ongoing protests and in subsequent years because of the difficulties of operating during the pandemic. Organisers have promised the initial line-up and tickets to be announced “soon”, with unrefunded Clockenflap 2021 passes valid for the new dates. Other attractions like Hong Kong Disneyland have been open as usual, with a live concert planned for the holiday period. The Disney Live in Concert Holiday Music Celebration will take place in front of the theme park’s Castle of Magical Dreams on consecutive Fridays and Saturdays from today until December 10. There, artists will perform classical music, jazz, and musical-style takes on classic Disney hits. “Following the success of the orchestral performance with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra last year, we’re proud to curate an even more robust musical Christmas experience this season,” said Michael Moriarty, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. “Disney Live in Concert represents the first of many cultural and performance partnerships with world-class organisations to take our entertainment to a whole new level,” he added, hinting at more such events to come. The reopening of the city comes at an opportune time, as Hong Kong’s economy has had to weather a succession of strict lockdown policies that have restricted economic activity. John Marrett, senior analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), describes Hong Kong’s economy as performing “poorly” due to restrictions. “A lack of tourists has taken away a previous major source of private expenditure. Of course, this is also owing to the restrictions in mainland China that have prevented outbound travel,” Marrett said. Will tourists finally return to Southeast Asia in 2023? Hong Kong’s economy showed a widening year-on-year contraction in the third quarter of this year. The gross domestic product (GDP) for July to September fell by 4.5 per cent from a year earlier, after declining 1.3 per cent in the preceding quarter, according to numbers from the government. Financial secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has repeated predictions that the city will record a budget deficit of more than HK$100 billion this year. Marrett does not think the return of live events will boost the economy significantly. Instead he has called for “the removal of remaining requirements facing inbound travellers” to restore growth. The return of live events, while boosting company profits, is also expected to help small organisations and NGOs thrive again after a rough few years. “The Covid pandemic and restrictions have created big challenges for NGOs like Aids Concern which rely on good contact with the community to be able to do community education and also run fundraising events,” said Andrew Chidgey, CEO of Aids Concern. Covid-related red tape has affected how they work as well. “Over the past three years, Aids Concern has had to shift from meeting people at risk of HIV in venues and at events, to meeting them online. Online work is important but is not a substitute for face-to-face outreach education which builds a much stronger connection with the community,” Chidgey said. The return of live events and reopening of venues can make a huge difference in the cash flow and survival of organisations. “Like many NGOs, our fundraising has been very badly affected as we haven’t been able to run large events like gala dinners or sporting events like fun runs. As a result, we have had to cut back our staffing and programmes as we just haven’t had the money to fund them,” Chidgey said. “We hope that in the coming months we can start to rebuild some of our signature fundraising events to bring in the money needed for community services.” Based on reassurances by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in a recent press briefing, it seems there will be no more stringent pandemic curbs, even if caseloads rise in mainland China. Greener gastronomy: how Hong Kong fine dining finally embraced sustainability Lee said the government would formulate “targeted measures” for large-scale coming events and tour groups. “Our policies have been simple and clear. We will minimise restrictions under the control of epidemic risks,” he said. He urged Hongkongers not to be fixated on a “0+0” Covid-19 arrangement which would end all restrictions for travellers. “Everyone has a different understanding of ‘0+0’. Therefore, I am not going to describe whether we are in [a stage] of ‘zero-plus-what’,” he said. But Lo Man-tuen, vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, believes Hong Kong’s latest relaxations are already a form of “0+0” policy, although the city has been unable to describe it as such due to China’s official policy of “dynamic zero”. Lo has said that Hong Kong provides “an important reference” for the mainland, as there has been no significant rebound in Covid-19 cases since live events were reintroduced. Allan Zeman, chairman of leisure and entertainment giant the Lan Kwai Fong Group, believes that doing away with restaurant bans on arrivals will be at the top of the government’s list as Hong Kong continues to open up. This is due to numbers that show that businesses, especially those in F&B, have suffered under the “0+3” policy. Unsurprisingly, those that have already held events are looking to do more – and plans are already under way to repeat recent successes. The Rugby Sevens will return to the city after just five months, reclaiming its traditional springtime spot from March 31, while the next Global Financial Leaders’ Investment Summit will next year double with celebrations for the HKMA’s 30th anniversary. “We look forward to seeing more events and activities taking place in the coming months as Hong Kong continues to open up,” added Yue. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.