26 July 2022 – The 32nd HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair, 5th HKTDC Sports and Leisure Expo and 2nd HKTDC World of Snacks, all organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), concluded successfully today. As the first large-scale event in 2022, the seven-day Book Fair and associated events brought together more than 700 exhibitors offering a diverse experience for shoppers that included books, sports and leisure products, and snacks. The three events drew 850,000 visitors, with average per capita spending of HK$879. The huge success of the concurrent fairs augurs well for the HKTDC’s upcoming exhibition series.
Keen participation in diverse range of cultural activities and seminars
This year’s Book Fair is one of the events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Sophia Chong, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “We are very grateful to all our exhibitors and visitors for their support for the Book Fair, the Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks. Some visitors even brought their whole family along! Under the theme of the year, ‘History and City Literature’, visitors showed great interest in related books, particularly cultural topics such as the history of the Forbidden City. Visitors also participated in various cultural events, seminars and recreational experiences. The HKTDC will continue to work with our Cultural Events Advisory Panel to bring even more diversity to the Book Fair in order to promote reading and cultural exchange more comprehensively. We look forward to our twin jewellery shows and Simply Shopping Fest, opening on 29 July, which will boost local consumption and introduce more business opportunities for exhibitors.”
Echoing the comments by Ms Chong, Book Fair exhibitors said that books related to this year’s theme were among the best-selling genres at the event, including books on topics such as the history of the Forbidden City that enabled readers to get a better understanding of China’s past. Meanwhile, books related to health and self-improvement and children’s books were also popular and drew good business.
Fiction, literature, comics, travel and children’s book revealed as most popular genres
More than 800 visitors to the Book Fair were interviewed by a research institute commissioned by the HKTDC to get an insight into their spending and reading habits. The survey showed that the average spending at this year’s fair was HK$879 – recording an increase from last year (spending in 2021 was HK$817) and accounting for 71% of respondents’ average annual expenditure on printed books (HK$1,238). This demonstrates that the Book Fair remains an important platform for local people to get access to quality reading materials. The majority of respondents (82%) attended the Book Fair to seek out new releases while 41% came for book discounts, 17% visited for the diverse cultural activities, and 15% intended to buy children’s books.
The survey also revealed the reading habits and preferences of attendees, with 95% of respondents saying they had read printed books in the past month with an average reading time of 19 hours. The most popular genres were fiction (57%), literature (25%), comics (21%), travel (18%) and children’s books (17%). Other popular genres were language books, supplementary exercises, self-improvement, history and biographies. The survey found that more than 65% of respondents had read e-books in the past month, also spending an average of 19 hours reading.
57% of respondents use electronic payment methods
Reflecting the influence of the pandemic, 57% of respondents settled payment using non-cash methods, including Octopus cards and credit cards, showing a rise from 49% last year. Visitors also rated the crowd control measures at the fairs positively, with 89% saying they were satisfied with the crowd control measures, and 90% expressing satisfaction with the new Octopus payment admission arrangements. To safeguard the health and safety of exhibitors and visitors, preventive measures were implemented, including temperature checkpoints and hand-sanitising facilities, which were acknowledged by 89% of the survey respondents. The measures implemented by the HKTDC made visitors feel more at ease when visiting the fairs.
Exhibitions, seminars and more to continue in Cultural July
This year, the HKTDC organised more than 600 seminars and cultural activities, including the theme of the year “Reading the World: Stories of Hong Kong” seminar series, “History and City Literature”, “Renowned Writers”, “English and International Reading”, “World of Knowledge”, “Children and Youth Reading”, “Lifestyle”, “Hong Kong Cultural and Historical”, and “Personal Development and Spiritual Growth”. Together with the "Cultural July – Summer of Reading" campaign held in various districts since late June, the estimated number of participants for the various activities exceeded 320,000. Some of the seminars in the "Renowned Writers” seminar series were broadcast online in collaboration with Sina Weibo, allowing book lovers outside Hong Kong to participate virtually.
Recordings of selected seminars are available online. Readers can revisit them through the Book Fair website or via the HKTDC’s online video channels. The Cultural July citywide campaign continues until the end of this month with a broad range of activities including art and cultural tours, exhibitions and seminars. For details, please visit the Cultural July website at http://www.hkbookfair.hktdc.com/CulturalJuly
Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks were well received
Offering a broad selection of sports and leisure products and services along with more than 1,200 tasty treats and snack workshops, the Hong Kong Sports and Leisure Expo and World of Snacks also concluded today. The former featured various trials and interactive experiences while the latter offered visitors a chance to buy treats from around the world and make their own snacks. Both events saw keen participation and exhibitors reported excellent sales.
Following these three exhibitions, the HKTDC will organise a series of events in the summer, including Simply Shopping Fest (29 July to 1 Aug), the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show (29 July to 2 Aug), Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show (29 July to 2 Aug), Food Expo (11 to 15 Aug), Beauty & Wellness Expo (11 to 15 Aug), Home Delights Expo (11 to 15 Aug), and the Hong Kong International Tea Fair (11 to 13 Aug). These events will cater to the varying needs of the public while helping businesses expand their local retail market and provide a boost to Hong Kong’s economy at the same time.
