HK annual racing extravaganza sees over 80,000 attendees

Hong Kong's annual racing extravaganza, The Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR), drew around 80,000 spectators yesterday. It also saw 6,511 attendees from mainland China, marking a 40% increase from last year.

Hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), the race was held at Sha Tin Racecourse and Happy Valley Racecourse, which saw 69,916 and 10,775 attendees respectively, marking the highest Longines HKIR attendance since 2018. The HKIR began with a performance by Korean singer Rain. 

Andrew Harding, executive director, Racing, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “We saw today of the 80,000 people who came to the races here at Sha Tin and also Happy Valley, so many of those people were from all over the world. Of the many things we work at the club, it is putting Hong Kong on the world stage."

While the HKIR was broadcast into 29 countries live and in Hong Kong, the turnover reached HK$1,716.3 million, including a commingling record of HK$473.8 million – an increase of 10% on last year’s event.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chief executive officer, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “Our strategy to bring the best races from Hong Kong and show them overseas is really proving a great success with our races today for the first time under the World Pool banner, which shows our racing product is extremely well received.”

“This meeting attracts a global audience, global recognition and this reflects positively on Hong Kong," he added. 

Meanwhile, the newly appointed secretary for culture, sports, and tourism, Rosanna Law, also attended the HKIR and said many of the horse racing fans attending were tourists. She added that she engaged with visitors from the Middle East, Japan, Australia, and Belgium, who expressed their enjoyment and promised to return each year, according to HK01.

While former tourism chief Kevin Yeung said previously that he was studying the possibility of relaxing the age restrictions for entering racecourses to allow minors, Law said there are many ways to approach the next steps. She added that Hong Kong has a high status in the international horse racing scene and visitors coming for horse racing are not solely there for the events. For example, Hong Kong is hosting the international racing forum this week, increasing high-end tourist numbers and promoting the Jockey Club will be key directions for the authorities moving forward.

Regarding the "multiple-entry visa" policy, Law said that there were 145,000 mainland visitors to Hong Kong yesterday, representing a 28.5% increase over  the average daily visitor numbers in November. She hoped that various sectors would work together to enhance services, "thinking creatively" to discover more new attractions that will encourage tourists to not only visit Hong Kong for a quick stop but also spend money here.

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