HKTB connects dragon boat races with citywide summer offers

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will launch the "Hong Kong summer fun" festive promotion to welcome the peak summer travel season, connecting a series of citywide highlight events and enticing offers to energise the summer season.

The HKTB will work with the business community to roll out an array of offers covering attractions, dining, transportation and shopping, enhancing Hong Kong's appeal as a summer destination, attracting more overnight visitors and boosting overall spending.

Kicking off the summer season will be the 50th-anniversary edition of the "Sun Life Hong Kong international dragon boat races", organised by the HKTB, co-organised by the Hong Kong China Dragon Boat Association (HKCDBA), and title-sponsored by Sun Life. The event will be fully upgraded into the "Sun Life Hong Kong international dragon boat festival" and will debut at the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade this month.

This year's races take place on from 27 to 28 June, featuring over 220 teams and more than 4,500 athletes from 16 countries and regions competing in 21 races, all up from last year. Participating countries include the mainland China, Canada, US, UK, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Qatar, and Indonesia.

The Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival has received support from 14 sponsors. The HKTB has also partnered with the Tsim Sha Tsui East Property Developers Association, collaborating with over 30 shops to roll out hotel, dining and shopping offers during the festival period to boost spending in the area.

This year's new events include the "50th anniversary fishermen invitational cup," where local fishermen teams from Aberdeen and Chai Wan compete in traditional wooden dragon boats, and the "50th anniversary championship," featuring champions from nine race categories vying for the “Ultimate dragon boat champion” title.

For the first time, the Dragon Boat Festival celebration held at the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade will be extended to 13 days, running from 19 June to 1 July. Spanning from the Dragon Boat Festival day through 1 July, the extended event aims to encourage visitors to stay longer and enjoy a cultural experience that blends tradition with modernity.

The Avenue of Stars will feature a Dragon Boat food lane and beer garden, complemented by four themed photo spots: Sun Life HK Dragon Boat co-creation zone, a 22-metre traditional wooden dragon boat; a dragon boat-themed installation in collaboration with the new film Minions & Monsters; and a giant Coca-Cola bottle and Dragon Boat-themed photo spot.

The festival will also debut intangible cultural heritage workshops including fishing net plaiting, blown sugar making, and lye rice dumpling making, along with VR dragon boat racing. On weekends and public holidays, the Beer Garden stage will feature Wing Chun, diabolo, ruan, and guzheng performances, followed by live music in the evening. A live broadcast zone will also offer close-up views of the Victoria Harbour races.

"Hong Kong summer fun" promotion

During the "Hong Kong Summer Fun" promotion period, the HKTB will collaborate with Trip.com Group, the Quality Tourism Services Association (OTSA), the Hong Kong Retail Management Association (HKRMA), Alipay, and various merchants to launch "Summer Deals", offering an array of offers.

The offers start the moment visitors begin planning their trip to Hong Kong. The HKTB will partner with Trip.com Group to launch promotions worth over HK$20 million, covering 19 local attractions and three transport operators. From 15 June to 31 August, visitors who book hotels in Hong Kong via Trip.com or Ctrip for the period from 1 July to 14 September, with a single transaction of HK$1,500 or above, will enjoy double rewards: one attraction ticket offer and one public transport offer of choice, with discounts of up to 50%. 

The HKTB will also collaborate with AlipayHK, Alipay and Alipay+, leveraging Alipay's vast Chinese Mainland and Alipay+'s international partner e-wallet user base. Visitors can scan designated QR codes at nearly 100 participating shopping malls across Hong Kong such as Central Market, Hysan Place, and ifc mall, to join the activity and receive a random spending reward of up to HK$500 or RMB$500, which can be used at any merchant displaying the AlipayHK, Alipay or Alipay+ payment acceptance mark.

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HKTB chairman Peter Lam said, "The summer holidays are a golden period for travel, and with a wave of mega events this summer, the HKTB is proud to present the new summer promotion 'Hong Kong Summer Fun', leveraging different events to strengthen promotion and partnering with the business community to roll out hundreds of thousands of offers covering attraction, dining, transport and shopping. We aim to attract more overnight visitors to Hong Kong and boost consumption across more sectors."

"As the headline international flagship event of 'Hong Kong Summer Fun', the 'Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival' not only runs over a longer period, but also features a stronger race line-up and more vibrant entertainment programmes than in previous years, offering an experience found only in Hong Kong for locals and visitors, while showcasing Hong Kong's position as the events capital of Asia," Lam added

Clement Lam, chief executive officer of Sun Life Hong Kong, said: “This iconic annual event brings together local communities and visitors from across the globe to celebrate a shared festive spirit, while inspiring people to live healthier lives. As we journey toward our 135th year in Hong Kong, we remain committed to preserving and promoting the heritage of dragon boat racing. For 17 consecutive years, our continuous support for local dragon boat activities has been a testament to our core values of teamwork, unity, and striving forward."

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