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3. No. 1 global offshore
RMB clearing centre Hong Kong holds the title of the number one global offshore RMB clearing centre, enabling seamless transactions in RMB and enhancing trade efficiency with Mainland China. 4. Top 10 places to do business globally The World Bank ' s Doing Business report consistently ranks Hong Kong among the top ten places to conduct business. The streamlined processes for starting a business can often be completed within just 24 hours, supported by a highly skilled workforce and world-class infrastructure. 5. Asia’ s premier meeting place Hong Kong is one of the world’ s most connected cities, serving as a regional hub for 120 international airlines. The Hong Kong International Airport( HKIA) offers direct flights to 220 destinations and visa-free access for visitors from 170 countries. In 2025, HKIA experienced a 21.6 % year-onyear increase in passenger traffic, reaffirming its status as the world ' s busiest cargo airport for the 14th consecutive year. 6. Hong Kong government support The Hong Kong SAR government has announced an additional US $ 65m to subsidise venue rental for new and international exhibitions. The Hong Kong Tourism Board is also enhancing its support to attract new international events and assist recurring ones. Bailey, added:“ In summary, Hong Kong offers a unique combination of global connectivity, economic freedom, financial expertise, and exceptional support for events. It is also a perfect destination for business and leisure, featuring a diverse culinary scene, world-class attractions, and a vibrant nightlife.”
Bailey, who played an instrumental role in lobbying for the government’ s extension of subsidy support through
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Incentive Scheme for Recurrent Exhibitions( ISRE) 2.0 in July, urges a further extension of the scheme beyond 2026 as well as“ further collaboration to develop new initiatives that address the unique challenges we face”.
Hardware and infrastructue developments While there may be strong demand for more quality large exhibition space, Hong Kong is witnessing significant hardware developments and upgrades to both event facilities and infrastructure, including:
• Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge: Now reducing travel time from Zhuhai to Hong Kong from four hours to 45 minutes, enhancing connectivity to the Greater Bay Area( GBA).
• High-Speed Rail Link: Connecting Hong Kong to 96 Mainland China cities, facilitating multidestination itineraries.
• SkyCity Development Plan: Covering approximately 25 hectares of land, SKYCITY is one of the largest commercial projects in Hong Kong and is set to transform HKIA from a city’ s airport into an airport city. SKYCITY will feature retail complexes, dining areas, hotels, entertainment facilities and offices, and is located near Hong Kong International Airport’ s passenger terminals.
• All three runways started operating on 28 November 2024, providing the expanded capacity for HKIA to further strengthen Hong Kong’ s position as a major international aviation hub. HKIA’ s plan is to serve 120m passengers and handle 10m tonnes of cargo annually which will increase the airport’ s capacity by 50 %.
• SKYTOPIA development of the Airport City is a major project integrating commercial activities, popular culture, art trading, entertainment and leisure by Airport Authority Hong Kong. This integrated
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Above: Kai Tak Sports Park |
development includes Phase 2 development of AsiaWorld-Expo.
• The expanded Terminal 2 at Hong Kong International Airport commenced a new phase of operations on 23 September 2025.
AWE Asia-World Expo( AWE) offers over 70,000sqm of rentable space in 10 ground-level and column-free halls. It is fully integrated with the Hong Kong International Airport and boasts a massive indoor seated arena for up to 14,000 persons. Additionally, AsiaWorld-Summit is one of Hong Kong’ s largest convention and hospitality halls that accommodate up to 5,000; and Runway 11 offers an exclusive pre-function area for conferences of up to 3,800.
Phase 2 development of AsiaWorld- Expo will include Hong Kong’ s largest multi-purpose indoor arena with a seating capacity of over 20,000 people, and more convention and exhibition facilities.
As well as Asia-World Expo, the other key big player for international events is HKCEC, while the new Kai Tak Sports Park, opened in March 2025, is the largest sports infrastructure project in Hong Kong and can also accommodate concerts, music festivals and other events. KTSP Stadium has seating capacity for 50,000 and the indoor Kai Tak Arena accommodates 10,000 guests. A welcome addition to the big venue stock, although demand from organisers is still likely to outstrip supply for the near future. EW
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www. exhibitionworld. co. uk |
Issue 5 2025 43 |