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Fiona Chow

Emily Hung

Hong Kong aims to host fairs on robotics, yachts and small jets – events never before held in the city – to cement its status as an international exhibition hub and attract big spenders, the commerce minister has said.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah on Sunday said the push was in response to the HK$100 million (US$12.78 million) budgeted to “attract large international exhibitions with new elements to Hong Kong”.
Yau said the government was brainstorming with international organisers to bring fairs that “Hong Kong has never hosted before”.
“For example, with robots everywhere nowadays, could we organise a robotics exhibition? When we talk about the yacht economy, could we host a yacht show?” he told a radio programme.
“A motor show would need a very large venue to showcase different types of vehicles. We could also consider whether a small aircraft exhibition is possible.”
Yau said the more large-scale fairs the city hosted, the more economic benefits they would bring to the aviation, tourism and catering industries.

He said the exhibitions industry contributed 2.1 per cent to the city’s gross domestic product, and each event drew exhibitors and buyers spending HK$7,000 to HK$8,000 daily during their trips.
He said two exhibition venues – AsiaWorld-Expo in Chek Lap Kok and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai – would be expanded to host bigger events.
The city staged 121 large-scale exhibitions in 2023 and 125 in 2024, mostly trade or trade-and-consumer shows, according to the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Industry Association.
On Wednesday, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his budget speech that the HK$100 million fund aimed to make Hong Kong the “first-choice platform for showcasing mainland and international brands”, drawing high-spending business visitors and value-added economic activities.
Separately, Yau also revealed that authorities were leaning towards a tax exemption for capital expenditures incurred for the purchase and use of intellectual property (IP) rights.
“Tax exemption will be a significant catalyst because it impacts the purchase and use of IP in various ways,” he said.
According to the budget, the government is consulting the trade on tax deduction arrangements, with an amendment bill to be introduced this year.
The arrangement is expected to help cut costs and facilitate more trading activities, which will be conducive to the development of knowledge-intensive industries and could reinforce the city’s position as a regional IP trading centre.
The nation’s 14th five-year plan calls for enhancing Hong Kong’s role as a global hub across eight major sectors, including transforming the city into a leading regional hub for IP trading.
Currently, the IP industry accounts for about 30 per cent of Hong Kong’s gross domestic product and jobs.


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Robots, jets and yachts: Hong Kong aims for new fairs to woo big spenders

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Commerce chief says push in response to HK$100 million budgeted to ‘attract large international exhibitions with new elements to Hong Kong’

Commerce chief says push in response to HK$100 million budgeted to ‘attract large international exhibitions with new elements to Hong Kong’