Editorial | Art Basel and Sevens perfect match for Hong Kong on international stage
As ‘Hong Kong Super March’ draws to a close, two very different events are attracting much-needed visitors and are set to win city wide acclaim
In an attempt to revive tourism and breathe life back into the city after the pandemic, Hong Kong authorities have spent the past few years busy packing the calendar, so much so that there were more than 200 events annually for the past two years. Even by those standards, March is shaping up to be an extraordinary month, with so many arts, culture, business and sporting events that it has been labelled “Hong Kong Super March.”
Depending on your interest, you could have started the month watching World Grand Prix snooker at Kai Tak Arena, taken in LIV Golf, viewed Cezanne and Renoir at the Museum of Art, studied Picasso at M+, or sourced some new handbags at the APLF Leather fair, now in its fourth decade, at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. There were also many more events in between.
Even as March counts down its final days, the main mega-events are yet to happen. Today, the exhibition centre opens its doors for the 13th Art Basel Hong Kong. Asia’s biggest contemporary art fair runs through Sunday, with 240 exhibitors from 42 countries and territories.
The other main draw is taking place at a brand new venue for the first time, and the pressure is on. The new Kai Tak Stadium kicks off three days of world-class rugby today with the Hong Kong Sevens. It is already going to be the biggest tournament crowd by ticket sales – 43,000 out of 47,000 had been sold by Wednesday, organisers said.
The stadium, which opened on March 1, is the crown jewel of the HK$30 billion Kai Tak Sports Park, which bears the name of the old airport. It is significantly larger than the ageing Hong Kong Stadium, which had a capacity of 40,000 and hosted the tournament in So Kon Po for 40 years before falling silent after its final hurrah – and round of “Sweet Caroline” – last year. Kai Tak is meant to be a hub for sports and entertainment, offering large-scale concerts to help attract global visitors. British band Coldplay will play concerts there next month.
A lot is riding on the Sevens, the stadium’s biggest test yet, and there have been positive signs so far. Some hotels and restaurants are seeing 20 per cent more business ahead of kick-off, with visitors from the United States, Canada, Britain and beyond. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui told the Post that Super March had attracted both the numbers and spending sought by the government. Many had come for the month’s final attractions, and the sports park was a game changer for mega-events, Law said.