Sour note struck over HK missing out on Swift tour

Hong Kong missed a golden opportunity to boost its "concert economy" when American pop superstar Taylor Swift chose to hold her concerts in Singapore rather than Hong Kong, according to Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee.

Executive Council convenor Ip criticized Kevin Yeung Yun-hung, the Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism, for offering a bureaucratic response when she appealed to the government to actively attract international and mainland stars to perform here.

Speaking in the Legislative Council meeting yesterday, Ip said many cities around the world have hosted world tour concerts by renowned singers, attracting fans from all over the world and stimulating their tourism, retail and catering industries, leading to economic development.

She asked whether the government would consider providing a dedicated fund or expanding the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund to cover concerts, and measures to assist concert organizers.

In response, Yeung said most entertainment events, including concerts, "operate on commercial principles without government involvement."

Relevant government departments have been providing assistance and facilitation measures to attract large-scale pop concerts by internationally renowned singers, he added.

Yeung said that they are in touch with organizers to understand their intentions and requirements for hosting concerts in the city.

He said the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has offered special booking arrangements for organizers, allowing them to submit booking applications for performance venues more than a year in advance, and applications will be considered a priority.

He said the Kai Tak Sports Park which will soon be completed by the end of this year will become a world-class venue suitable for diversified activities, with three main facilities, including the main stadium with 50,000 seats for performance events and an indoor sports center able to accommodate 10,000 people.

The waterfront event space in Wan Chai, with an area of about 1.4 hectares, is also available for rental through short-term tenancies, he added.

Yeung also said the number of large-scale pop music concerts held in the city has returned to re-pandemic level.

"According to our statistics, 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," he said.

Ip slammed him, saying: "You only gave me a very bureaucratic answer and didn't address my questions."

She said Swift's 66 concert tours in the United States earned US$1 billion (HK$7.8 billion) last year.

However, as the superstar chose Singapore as the venue for six concerts in March, Hong Kong lost the opportunity to boost revenue and develop the concert economy, she said.

But Yeung said people cannot say Hong Kong is a failure just because a specific person does not come to the SAR. "It's a market's decision whether a certain star decides to perform in HK," he added.

Also a long-term plan for setting up a Pop Culture Centre as a landmark for local pop culture and tourist venue is being conducted, he said.

Authorities are consulting experts on the center's choice of site, facilities, curatorial approach and exhibition contents, he added.