Hong Kong’s bet that horse racing and other sports can help the city become a premier destination for high-end travellers appears to be paying off. Recent success at the track and with overseas outreach should spur authorities to keep drawing visitors.
Nearly 10,000 tourists, a record turnout, were in the stands at Sha Tin Racecourse for FWD Champions Day on Sunday. The Jockey Club said the nearly 42,000-strong crowd was 37.5 per cent larger than the previous year.
More than 8,000 visitors were from the mainland, and nearly 1,100 from overseas. About 200 high-net-worth people from Japan attended.
Jockey Club chief Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said numbers were boosted by collaboration with China Travel Service and a pilot initiative to draw high-end visitors. He predicted more in the coming weeks as the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) gets involved.
Packages that include visits to racecourses in the city and on the mainland are being organised with China Travel Service to boost tourism and ultimately develop the market in the Greater Bay Area development zone.
The club’s Conghua facility in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, will start hosting regular races in 2026.