Show must go on – just don’t use government money, says Jim Thompson
Hong Kong’s government is being urged to organise big events to attract tourists, but Crown Worldwide founder says it should learn a lesson from controversial HarbourFest
Pop concerts by big international acts could help Hong Kong attract more tourists, but public money should not be used to put on such shows, says Jim Thompson, who helped arrange a series of concerts 13 years ago as the city looked to bounce back from the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak.
Visits by mainland tourists, who account for roughly 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s arrivals, fell 15 per cent year on year in March after falling 18 per cent in the first two months of the year.
That’s prompted many commentators to call on the Hong Kong government to host more events to attract tourists.
Thompson, the 76-year-old founding chairman of logistics company Crown Worldwide, was chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce when he helped the government arrange HarbourFest in 2003. The government spent HK$100 million on a series of concerts by big names such as Prince, the Rolling Stones and Santana in an effort to boost the city’s image after the Sars outbreak, which killed 299 people in Hong Kong.
I could not understand why there was so much negative publicity, which has prevented the shows from being held annually
The event proved controversial, with much criticism of the amount of money spent and questions raised about its efficacy in attracting tourists.
