Hong Kong to attract more acts such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé: tourism minister

Tourism minister Kevin Yeung says that he will talk to local organisers about bringing in more big names, though who performs will ultimately depend on the market

Analysts say the city’s lack of large venues has failed to attract mega stars, amid global stars heading to venues in Asia including Singapore

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Taylor Swift performs in Arlington, Texas, in March 2023. Hong Kong tourism chief Kevin Yeung says that he will talk to local concert organisers about bringing in more big concert acts to the city. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:00pm, 24 Jan 2024Updated: 2:02am, 25 Jan 2024

Hong Kong’s tourism minister has pledged to take steps to attract more international stars to boost the local economy after lawmakers questioned why the city had missed out on performances by global artists such as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung told legislators on Wednesday that he would carry out discussions with local concert organisers on how they could attract more overseas artists to Hong Kong, but ultimately who came to the city would depend on the market.

Yeung was being grilled by lawmakers in a Legislative Council meeting about the city’s arrangements in attracting and facilitating internationally renowned artists to perform in Hong Kong.

“Taylor Swift held 66 concerts in the United States and she earned US$1 billion,” said Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, a lawmaker and the convenor of the government’s top decision-making body.

Beyoncé performs in Kansas City, Missouri, in October. Analysts cite the lack of mega stars performing in Hong Kong to the city’s late reopening after the pandemic and its lack of large venues. Photo: Parkwood

“In Asia, she went to Singapore, we lost this opportunity. This year, we have a large-scale venue being completed in Kai Tak.