'Happy Hong Kong' To Boost Morale And Economy: FS

Cheap movie tickets, food fairs, and a new carnival by Victoria Harbour are some of the initiatives under the government’s "Happy Hong Kong" campaign to cheer people up and boost the economy, officials said.

To kick off the months-long campaign, Financial Secretary Paul Chan told a press conference that movie tickets at all cinemas will cost just HK$30 this Saturday.

There will also be a large-scale gourmet market at the Convention and Exhibition Centre over the weekend, with tickets being distributed on a first-come-first-served basis.

Similar food fairs will also be held in Sha Tin and Kwun Tong over the next two months.

In July, the Tourism Board will launch the “Harbour Chill Carnival” along the Wan Chai promenade.

“There’ll be roving performances on culture, on music, and the performances by various artists or artist groups will be on-going from six o’clock until 11 o’clock every weekend,” said Dane Cheng, executive director of the board.

“Also [it will be] the first time for us to try a floating stage on the water, with the [pyrotechnics] as the backdrop, and of course with our famous Victoria Harbour night view.”

In August, the Manchester United U16 squad will fly in to play two friendly matches against local elite youth players.

A variety of events and carnivals will also be held in places like the West Kowloon Cultural District, Cyberport, Disneyland and Ocean Park.

Chan said the entire campaign comes with an estimated price tag of HK$20 million, adding that it is difficult to say how successful it is going to be.

“At the end of the day, given the current still-to-be-reinforced economic situation, if we are able to sustain the economic growth, to sustain the employment situation, as well as to give people the confidence and a sense of happiness in the city, that would be most important,” he said.