Book fair opens with lighter crowds as rain, DSE results keep visitors away

The 36th Hong Kong Book Fair opened at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday (Jul 15), with lighter-than-usual first-day crowds as rainy weather and the release of Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) results kept some visitors away.

The seven-day fair runs until Jul 21 under the theme "Cultural Legacy | Joyful Journeys."

Despite the slower start, exhibitors remained optimistic about sales, while some visitors said the smaller crowds made for a more comfortable shopping experience.

One visitor said she planned to spend about HK$10,000 on supplementary exercise books for herself and friends.

An executive editor at Hong Kong China Travel Press said sales have grown steadily in recent years despite the increasing use of artificial intelligence for travel planning.

She said AI-generated travel information could be inaccurate, adding that publishers can remain competitive by offering reliable, well-researched and exclusive content.

"Content is king," she said.

She added that the publisher has responded to changing travel trends by producing guidebooks inspired by popular film locations.

At the Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum booth, an assistant manager for promotion and communications said opening-day sales were close to last year's first-day total and expressed confidence about this year's performance.

The museum launched new cultural products for the fair, including ink painting-themed animal stickers and magnets inspired by its ongoing Qianlong exhibition.

A director and deputy general manager at Commercial Press (Hong Kong) said local readers favor books on Hong Kong culture and popular culture, while parents prefer language-learning and encyclopedia titles. Mainland visitors, meanwhile, tend to buy history and cultural books.

She added that books on Hong Kong culture, including studies of late Cantopop star Anita Mui, have remained popular over the past decade.

Despite the rain, visitors continued to turn up, with some saying the lighter crowds made browsing more comfortable.

A Secondary Three student said she visits the fair every year to buy supplementary exercise books, reference materials and stationery.

She said she was repeating a school year and wanted to strengthen her academic foundation before returning to class. She planned to spend HK$600 to HK$700 on books and another HK$200 to HK$300 on stationery, adding that she always looked for discounts. She also said the lighter crowds made browsing more comfortable.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓