DSE備戰英文科｜社論學英文—勿小覷演唱會經濟拉動娛樂旅遊消費

2024-03-17 14:00

勿小覷演唱會經濟拉動娛樂旅遊消費

2024年1月25日《星島日報》社論

香港疫後經濟復甦不似預期，特首李家超近日提出推動盛事經濟發展，希望藉辦大型盛事吸引更多旅客來港，成為助推經濟的動力，並準備在今天行政長官互動交流答問會上與議員共商對策。在雙方交流前夕，有議員對官員爭取國際歌手來港開演唱會的被動態度有所不滿，認為只會讓香港錯失機遇。周邊地區積極推動演唱會經濟，官員若仍抱舊思維，不主動出擊，即使場館容納量提升，恐怕也無法與對手競爭。

須改變思維主動邀巨星來港表演

盛事經濟涵蓋大型國際會議、大型賽事、大型表演和活動等，但官員往往將重心放在大型金融論壇和展覽會上，爭取更多跨國企業高管和高端客戶群參與，而對大型娛樂盛事卻未必太看重。事實上，疫後不少城市大力推動演唱會經濟，更視之為經濟復甦的動力，以吸收報復式消費所帶來的商機，而美國樂壇天后Taylor Swift去年舉行的世界巡迴演唱會一票難求，正是最佳佐證。

Taylor Swift去年在世界多地舉辦逾60場演唱會，售出435萬張門票，賺取10.4億美元之餘，她所到之處，吸引不少國際歌迷遠道而來，為當地酒店、旅遊、餐飲及零售業帶來可觀收入。有調查顯示，單是在美國的巡迴演唱會，已為美國創造46億美元收入，而每位入場觀眾平均消費1300美元。

身兼行政會議召集人的葉劉淑儀，昨天在立法會提出口頭質詢時，對Taylor Swift去年亞洲之行只選了在日本和新加坡開個唱，香港錯失機會，質問政府今後會否積極爭取這類頂級藝人。文化體育及旅遊局局長楊潤雄回應，演唱會主辦方是否來港舉辦屬商業決定，誰來誰不來，交由市場主導。

據悉，香港演唱會主辦方得悉Taylor Swift來亞洲，眼看有商機曾一邊與對方洽談，另一邊試圖聯繫可容納4萬觀眾的香港大球場，查詢檔期，大球場回應並不積極，甚至顯得官僚，結果讓國際巨星來港表演失諸交臂。再加上新加坡豁免場租及給予補貼，令Taylor Swift最終選擇在新加坡開個唱。

香港在場館硬件上明顯處於下風，而這個硬傷有望在今年下半年改寫，因啟德體育園落成後，可容納5萬觀眾，屆時香港便有大型場館足與新加坡比肩，有更大誘因吸引國際歌手來港開演唱會。

宜做好交通配套與門票合理分配

不過，單靠硬件提升並不足夠，還須有政策扶持演唱會經濟。事實上，新加坡自2000年以來便着力打造亞洲活動及娛樂之都，除了投入資源興建大型表演場館外，更在政策上一直爭取與國際巨星合作，並設有基金在必要時提供金錢補貼，多年努力終取得回報。另一個例子是台灣高雄市，市政府盡可能滿足歌手需求，包括提供完善交通疏導配套、讓歌手在可容納4.5萬人的世運主場館開個唱，結果去年吸引BLACKPINK、Coldplay等樂隊到台灣開個唱，全年舉辦了逾117場演唱會，累計139萬觀眾入場，帶來逾45億元新台幣（逾11億港元）收益，並帶動當地店舖延長營業至凌晨4時。

因此，若當局要發揮盛事經濟，官員切勿小覷演唱會經濟的消費力，須改變思維，像辦國際金融論壇的心態看待，主動邀請國際歌手來港表演，並在門票銷售方面作出規範，將一定門票分配給本地、海外及內地歌迷。同時也要未雨綢繆改善啟德的交通、夜市等配套，讓觀眾在看完演唱會後還有地方消夜，給海內外歌迷有良好體驗和印象，願意留港過夜，才能發揮更大經濟效益。

Don't underestimate concert economy, boost music tourism 　

Hong Kong's post-pandemic recovery has not been as good as expected. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has recently proposed promotion of event economy, hoping to attract more tourists by organizing large-scale events and create a driving force. He will be discussing with Legco members in today's Chief Executive's Interactive Exchange Question and Answer Session. A legislator yesterday complained about the passive attitude of officials in soliciting international singers to hold concerts in Hong Kong, saying that the city was only missing out on opportunities. Neighbouring regions are actively promoting concert economy, so if the government clings to the old mindset without taking the initiative, it will not be able to compete with rivals even when venues have been expanded.

Change mindset and be proactive 　　

Event economy covers major international conferences, tournaments, performances, activities, etc. However, officials focus on big financial forums and exhibitions that draw executives of multinational corporations and high-end customers, probably neglecting large entertainment events. In fact, many cities have been vigorously promoting concert economy after the pandemic, taking it as a driving force for recovery to grab business opportunities brought by revenge spending, best evidenced by American pop superstar Taylor Swift's sold-out world tour last year. 　　

Swift held over 60 concerts around the world selling 4.35 million tickets and earning US$1.04 billion. Her global fans generated considerable revenues for local hotel, tourism, catering & retail businesses. According to a survey, her US concert tour alone generated US$4.6 billion in revenue for the country with an average spending of US$1,300 per concertgoer. 　　

At the Legco yesterday, Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, who is also the convenor of the Executive Council, asked whether the government would actively attract such top artists in the future, given that Swift only held concerts in Japan and Singapore during her Asia tour. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung replied that entertainment events "operate on commercial principles" and are market directed. 　　

It is said that when the Hong Kong concert organizer learnt about Swift coming to Asia, it negotiated with the party concerned while enquiring with the Hong Kong Stadium, which has a capacity of 40,000 spectators. The response, however, was lukewarm and even bureaucratic ending up in an opportunity lost. Singapore, moreover, waived the rental fee and provided subsidies, so she finally chose the city. 　　

Hong Kong is obviously at a disadvantage in terms of venue hardware, but hopefully there will be a change in the second half of this year, because the new Kai Tak Sports Park can accommodate 50,000 spectators. Hong Kong will then have a large venue comparable to that of Singapore as well as greater incentives to attract international popstars. 　　

However, upgrading hardware is not enough. There must be supportive policies. In fact, since 2000, Singapore has been striving to become an events and entertainment capital of Asia. In addition to the construction of large performance venues, it has introduced policies that favour international superstars and set up a fund to provide subsidies when necessary. The years of hard work finally paid off. Another example is Kaohsiung, a city of Taiwan. The municipal government did its best to meet the demands of popstars, including comprehensive transportation facilities and the Kaohsiung National Stadium with a capacity of 45,000 audience. Bands such as BLACKPINK and Coldplay, therefore, held their performances there last year. More than 117 concerts were held with a total of 1.39 million concertgoers and over NT$4.5 billion (HK$1.1 billion) in revenue. Local stores even extended their business hours to 4:00 am.

Proper transportation and ticket allocation 　　

So, if the government wants to give full play to event economy, officials must not underestimate the spending power brought by concerts. They should change their mindset and adopt the same mentality as that of organizing international financial forums by proactively inviting global singers and allocating tickets to local, overseas and mainland fans. Meanwhile, it is necessary to prepare for a rainy day by improving ancillary facilities such as Kai Tak transportation and night markets for supper, so that fans will have a good experience after a concert and stay overnight, bringing greater benefits.

Vocabulary

solicit (v) —— 招攬
cling (v) —— 依附
mindset (n) —— 思維
evidenced (adj) —— 獲證實的
convenor (n) —— 召集人
lukewarm (adj) —— 冷淡的
bureaucratic (adj) —— 官僚的
incentive (n) —— 誘因

Useful Terms

event economy —— 盛事經濟
passive attitude —— 被動態度
revenge spending —— 報復式消費
ancillary facility —— 附加設施

Did you know? 　

Executive Council convenor Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee asked whether the government would consider providing a dedicated fund or expanding the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund to cover concerts, saying many cities around the world had hosted world tour concerts by renowned singers, attracting global fans and stimulating their tourism, retail and catering industries.

Q&A

The word _____ in the first paragraph is the opposite of "proactive".
Many cities are already vigorously promoting _____ economy after the pandemic for recovery.
In the passage, the word _____ means "uninterested".
Supportive policies are needed in addition to _____ upgrades.
According to the last paragraph, _____ facilities such as night markets must be improved.