Formula E Hong Kong ePrix

The Hong Kong ePrix will make its debut at the Central harbourfront this coming Saturday and Sunday. The event is expected to attract an attendance of over 20 000 people. This is the first time that the championship is held in Hong Kong, after taking tour in the world's major cities, including Beijing, London and Paris.

Over three years ago, Mr Lawrence Yu approached me on the green concept of using car racing to promote the use of electric vehicles. Thanks to the joint efforts by the Government and members of the community in the past two or three years, the Hong Kong ePrix is set to be staged this coming weekend.

To make the event a success, the Tourism Commission held meetings with the organiser and 20 other government bureaux/departments, co-ordinated the preparatory work and conducted a number of emergency rescue drills. The Commission suggested to the organiser that a liaison platform be set up to enable the organiser, travel agents, management of tourist attractions, hotels and the retail sector to communicate with each other and discuss the development of appropriate tourism partnership projects, such as travel packages for overseas tourists. This platform helped explore ways to enhance the synergy between the ePrix and our tourism sector, as well as increase the event's attractiveness and draw more high value-added visitors to Hong Kong.

Since last October, the Highways Department has been conducting necessary road modification works on some road sections in the New Central Harbourfront area to ensure that these sections conform to the international safety standard for street circuits, protecting both car racers and spectators. The modifications will also facilitate the staging of the same event and other major motorsport events in Hong Kong in the future.

Regarding publicity, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has, for the first time, carried out promotional activities under the theme "Hong Kong Sports Month". The aim is to attract more high value-added tourists to Hong Kong for the ePrix and other sports events, and to visit Hong Kong's many attractions while they are in town.

I would like to express my gratitude to my government colleagues for all their hard work.

The ePrix aims to promote energy efficiency, carbon emission reduction and environmental protection. It also combines various entertainment and leisure elements to attract fans as well as their families. For example, the eVillage is divided into children's zones and a Formula E racing simulator competition zone. All these will help enhance Hong Kong's image as a metropolis and consolidate our status as a premier travel destination with diverse attractions.

October 6, 2016