“They will bring tremendous economic benefits and help boost Hong Kong’s image and attractiveness.”

Hong Kong leader John Lee says big effort needed to draw star performers to city

Lee did not outline his administration’s strategies. He said efforts would vary depending on the “actual circumstances”.

Major acts such as Swift, Coldplay and The 1975 have all skipped the city on tours which include places such as Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Global news outlets revealed on Sunday the supposed offering of an exclusive deal, quoting Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who said Swift concert promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group informed him of a proposed arrangement, worth up to US$3 million, between the company and the Singaporean government.

The deal proposal was said to have stipulated that the American singer-songwriter would not be able to perform in any other Asean country.

Hong Kong is not part of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) trade bloc.

Pop icon Swift will perform in six sold-out shows at Singapore’s 55,000-seat National Stadium next month as part of her Eras Tour.

The Hong Kong government has been touting the city’s mega-event economy, with Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah saying on Monday that it was set to surpass pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year.

But recent government-backed mega events have become mired in controversy.

Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi sat out a game played in Hong Kong earlier this month, leaving tens of thousands of fans outraged and confused.

The organiser had applied for HK$16 million (US$2 million) in government sponsorship, but later withdrew its application amid the controversy over Messi’s failure to play.

The football legend released a two-minute video on mainland Chinese social media on Monday where he insisted speculation that politics was involved was unfounded and that he hoped to meet his Chinese fans in person again.

Rod Stewart world tour axes Hong Kong concert: promoters

Lee said on Tuesday Hong Kong welcomed 1.4 million tourists during the eight days around the Lunar New Year holiday this month, with 87 per cent of them from the mainland.

He predicted that growth in visitor numbers would continue this year and pledged to increase capacity for the tourism sector by tackling bottlenecks in ground transport, aviation and catering.

Lee added it was “normal” for the number of outward bound trips by Hongkongers over the Lunar New Year holiday period to exceed visits by tourists.

He attributed it to post-Covid “revenge” travel and deepened integration between the city and the mainland.

Peter Shiu Ka-fai, a retail sector lawmaker, said that the private sector should remain the lead for concerts and performances, but the government could still play a role through support for events.

Shiu highlighted the city’s sponsorship of the ill-fated Inter Miami football match against a Hong Kong select earlier this month.

He added that the city was also no stranger to the provision of financial incentives for big events.

But Shiu said the inducement said to have been offered to Swift for her Singapore appearance in Singapore should be a signal to authorities that the market had evolved.

“We should pay attention to the changes in the market, but I am not suggesting that we all fight for the highest amount of money offered amongst different regions,” he said.

Additional reporting by Harvey Kong