SME Times is powered by   
Search News
Just in:   • Adani Group to invest Rs 57,575 crore in Odisha  • 'Dollar Distancing' finally happening? Time for India to pitch Rupee as credible alternative: SBI Ecowrap  • 49% Indian startups now from tier 2, 3 cities: Jitendra Singh  • 'India ranks 3rd in global startup ecosystem & number of unicorns'  • LinkedIn lays off entire global events marketing team: Report 
Last updated: 27 Sep, 2014  

hktdc-logoTHMB.jpg Record 1 mn plus attend 25th Hong Kong Book Fair

25th Hong Kong Book Fair
   Top Stories
» 49% Indian startups now from tier 2, 3 cities: Jitendra Singh
» 'India ranks 3rd in global startup ecosystem & number of unicorns'
» Tripura exported over 9K tonnes of pineapples in 2 years
» CPI inflation eases to 6.71% in July, IIP falls to 12.3%
» Rupee depreciates 12 paise to close at 79.64 against US dollar
SME Times News Bureau | 23 Jul, 2014
The 25th HKTDC Hong Kong Book Fair concluded Tuesday by writing a new page in the history of the event which, for the first time, welcomed more than one million visitors.

The week-long signature event, organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), was unfazed by the impact of a passing storm, attracting more than 1.01 million visitors, an all-time attendance record.

"The Book Fair this year welcomed 570 exhibitors from 31 countries and regions," said HKTDC Deputy Executive Director Benjamin Chau in a press statement.

"Even though the weather has been rather unsettled over the past few days, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of readers. The enduring success of the Hong Kong Book Fair is a sure sign of Hong Kong people's thirst for knowledge and appetite for a good story. The Book Fair has become a not-to-be-missed summer event for the public and for the industry."

The Book Fair ran from 16-22 July at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Events staged during the period of the Hong Kong Book Fair included seminars, readings, book clubs and new book parades with some 300 speakers taking part.

As an extension of the Book Fair, the on-going month-long "Cultural July" festival features a total of more than 500 cultural events across Hong Kong which have so far attracted 250,000 attendees.

During the Book Fair, the HKTDC commissioned independent consultancy firm CAP Strategic Research to conduct an on-site survey from 16-19 July. The survey interviewed 805 fair visitors and found that per capita spending at this year's Book Fair was HK$987, up 25 percent over the previous year.

The survey also found that visitors were more willing to spend on books this year, with 16 percent of respondents saying they had planned to spend more than they did last year, with an average budget increase of 49 percent year-on-year. About three-quarters (77 percent) of respondents said they expected to spend the same this year compared to last year. In terms of genre, fiction (58 percent) topped the popularity list, followed by literature (32 percent) – a significant increase of 5 percent compared to last year travel (29 percent), comics (20 percent) and children's books (18 percent).

The survey also found that about 25 percent of respondents had ordered books through online bookstores during the past year, while 95 percent bought books from traditional book stores and 74 percent made purchases at the Book Fair. This suggests that the rise in popularity of online bookstores does not necessarily affect the sales of traditional bookstores.

Almost all survey respondents said they had bought printed books in the past year, with average spending rising to HK$1,839, an increase of HK$130 year-on-year. Some 35 percent of respondents reported buying e-books in the previous year, up 19 percent, with average spending of HK$478. According to the survey, the amount of time people spend reading held steady. Ninety-nine percent of respondents said they had read a printed book in the past month, spending an average of 30 hours reading. Sixty-one percent had read an e-book in the previous month, spending an average of 22 hours, which is one hour more than the previous year.

The survey found that non-Hong Kong residents made up approximately 12 percent of the total attendance of this year's Book Fair. Based on this figure, it is estimated that some 120,000 visitors were from outside Hong Kong. Apart from the Chinese mainland, Macau and Taiwan, there were also readers from the US, Singapore, the UK and Korea, among other places. Over 50 percent of these non-Hong Kong visitors said the main purpose of their trip was to attend the Book Fair. More than half of them (55 percent) also said "buying books unavailable in my region" was a main reason for their visit.

Online novels are the current trend, and some of the most popular works have even been published in hard copy or turned into films. Co-organised with the Hong Kong Novel Association, "Introduction of Hong Kong Online Writers" promoted this fast-emerging style of literature. Two of the most popular online authors attended a seminar with Mr Sze Yan Ngai, the convenor of the Hong Kong Novel Association. Mr Sze spoke of his confidence about developing local online writing talent, saying "at the moment Hong Kong lacks people with creativity, while Cyberspace would be a good platform for the new generation to develop their creativity." They hope that online novels will introduce more people to different forms of literature and encourage them to read more.

The SHKP Read To Dream 2014 programme sponsored nearly 1,200 underprivileged children from 35 schools to visit the Book Fair and participate in cultural events. Each child received HK$250, funded by SHKP and Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged, to purchase books. The students were particularly keen to buy detective stories and science books.

One student visiting the Book Fair for the first time said, "I love reading in the library very much, but seldom own a favourite book of my own. The sponsorship enabled me to buy books that I love, and I have also bought some recipe books for my mom, so she can learn some new dishes to enjoy with the family."
 
Print the Page Add to Favorite
 
Share this on :
 

Please comment on this story:
 
Subject :
Message:
(Maximum 1500 characters)  Characters left 1500
Your name:
 

 
  Customs Exchange Rates
Currency Import Export
US Dollar
66.20
64.50
UK Pound
87.50
84.65
Euro
78.25
75.65
Japanese Yen 58.85 56.85
As on 13 Aug, 2022
  Daily Poll
PM Modi's recent US visit to redefine India-US bilateral relations
 Yes
 No
 Can't say
  Commented Stories
» GIC Re's revenue from obligatory cession threatened(1)
 
 
About Us  |   Advertise with Us  
  Useful Links  |   Terms and Conditions  |   Disclaimer  |   Contact Us  
Follow Us : Facebook Twitter