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Following is the speech by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, at the press conference of the FIA Formula E Hong Kong ePrix today (May 31):
Mr Agag (CEO of Formula E Holdings Limited, Mr Alejandro Agag), Mr Yu (President of the Hong Kong Automobile Association, Mr Lawrence Yu), Mr Thapa (Managing Director of Formula Electric Racing (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr Samir Thapa), Mr Fang (CEO of Formula Electric Racing (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr Alan Fang), Mr Arena (Group Managing Director of HKT Limited, Mr Alexander Arena), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I am very excited to join you at today's press conference of the Hong Kong ePrix.
To reinforce Hong Kong's position as a preferred travel destination, Hong Kong plays host to a fascinating array of exciting events ranging from world-class sports events to colourful festivals. The Government is keen to add more new elements to our year-round event calendar, hence we fully support the introduction of the FIA Formula E Championship to Hong Kong.
The successful hosting of this new exciting and large-scale event at the Central Harbourfront will benefit Hong Kong in various ways. Not only will this world-class novel car race become yet another signature event in Hong Kong, it will showcase our splendid skyline and harbour view to the world, and hence enrich the tourism appeal of Hong Kong and reinforce our position as the events capital of Asia. We are confident that car racing enthusiasts, who incidentally are typically high-spending visitors, will come to Hong Kong specifically for this race. A case in point here is that Formula E Holdings has reserved hundreds of hotel rooms for its race experts during the event period, which will certainly give an impetus to our tourism development. Over the past few months, the Tourism Commission has also been facilitating the organiser to explore with the tourism and retail sectors on ways to attract overseas spectators to the Hong Kong ePrix. We are delighted to learn that there will be tourist packages, such as combo tickets for visitors' enjoyment at both the car race and our theme parks, and that the organiser is continuing its effort on this front.
The Government and a lot of friends here have been making tremendous efforts to facilitate the introduction of the FIA Formula E Championship to Hong Kong. With our concerted effort, I am confident that the race will be a highlight of Hong Kong's events calendar and a talking point in the region. Before closing, I would like to wish this event every success, and look forward to seeing all of you enjoying a hair-raisingly exciting weekend at the new Central Harbourfront in October. Thank you.
Ends/Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Issued at HKT 17:08
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