Hong Kong is using horse racing to attract high-spending visitors, the tourism minister has said, adding that the sport is about more than just betting.
In an exclusive interview earlier in the week, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said the races in Happy Valley and Sha Tin were popular among visitors from mainland China and abroad.
Horse owners, their families and supporters also revelled in attending what Law said was one of the city’s signature attractions.
She said the “catchy phrase” of horse racing “will continue”, in a nod to late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping’s famous promise that “horse racing will continue and dancers will continue to sway” in Hong Kong. He was assuring residents life would continue as normal following the city’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Law said the races had the ability to provide an economic boost.
“Don’t underestimate the potential and the interest of people coming from the mainland or outside Hong Kong to attend the races,” she said on Wednesday. “A lot of horse owners, their family and their supporters will come and again don’t underestimate [this] because they are high-end spenders.”
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in his policy address in October last year that the city would develop tourism focused on local experiences, citing yachts, pandas and horse racing as areas of interest. Cultural and environmentally focused tourism were also targets.
