Hong Kong MICE: Two More Major Events Cancelled

This year’s Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, a leading regional event which attracted 452 exhibitors from 33 countries and regions and over 168,000 visitors in 2018, has been cancelled.

The Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival was scheduled to take place 31 October to 3 November 2019.

The Hong Kong Cyclothon, due to take place on 13 October 2019, has also been cancelled.

These are just two of the latest casualties in a growing number of major international events that have been cancelled recently, causing even further damage to Hong Kong's MICE and tourism industry, as well as the broader economy. The 2019 Hong Kong Tennis Open, which should have started tomorrow, was cancelled last month, and the Global Wellness Summit 2019 moved its 3-day event in October from Hong Kong to Singapore.

Protests in Hong Kong have become increasingly violent in recent weeks, and in some cases can only be described as riots. The protestors managed to close the airport, one of the busiest in the world, for almost two days in August. They have also caused a lot of damage to public and private property, attacked innocent civilians and the police, and disrupted public transport and roads, not only within the city, but also to and from the airport. Hotels have been badly affected with OR, ADR and RevPAR all down considerably.

Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Chairman, Dr YK Pang, said, “The decision to cancel the Hong Kong Cyclothon and the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival was certainly not an easy one. The two events enjoy huge popularity among local residents and visitors, and great support from local and international partners, sponsors and exhibitors. However, in view of unforeseen circumstances in the coming weeks, it would be challenging to us to ensure the smooth running of the two events, so we have decided to cancel both of the mega events.”

All those who were supposed to take part in the Hong Kong Cyclothon will get a full refund of their enrolment fee by the end of November 2019. They will also get a 20% discount on the enrolment fee if they join the event next year.

Similarly, exhibitors of the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival will be refunded in full and will also get a 20% discount on the participation fee for next year’s event.

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