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SCMP Editorial
Editorial
SCMP Editorial

Hong Kong Book Fair offers hope for a future full of reading

The city’s annual book fair plays an important role in boosting reading and sales, and its success suggests the appeal of reading will endure

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Visitors browse books at the booths during the last day of Hong Kong Book Fair, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, on July 21. Photo: Elson Li
SCMP Editorial
Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.

The joy of reading books is easily overlooked when so much time is now devoted to scrolling on social media and conversing with artificial intelligence (AI). People’s attention spans are shorter and the idea of spending hours enjoying a medium offering no interaction might be viewed as belonging to the distant past.

But the timeless pleasure of reading a book remains. The buying and reading of books needs support, both for the good of the publishing industry and for the benefits brought to the reader.

Hong Kong’s annual book fair, which concluded this week, plays a significant role in boosting reading and sales. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council revealed that attendance for the book fair and its linked expos reached 990,000, higher than last year’s typhoon-hit event. That is good to see.

This year, the book fair adopted a travel theme. It ran alongside the Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks, offering visitors a wide range of attractions. The three events drew 770 exhibitors from around 30 countries and regions.

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