Low rate of Western artists choosing HK for world tours

A think tank study has revealed that despite an increase in large-scale venues in Hong Kong, the proportion of European and American performing acts choosing the city for world tours remain low.

The group is calling for greater ticket allocation transparency and reforms to venue booking policies.

With the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park last year, Hong Kong now boasts four venues capable of hosting audiences over 10,000, aligning with the government's push to foster a "concert economy."

However, a study by the Future Economy Institute analysing 174 world concert tours between January 2023 and September 2026 found that out of 95 European and American performing artists' tours, only around 21 percent or 20 tours included Hong Kong.

That rate falls far short of Tokyo and Singapore, which attracted 74 percent and nearly 50 percent of those tours respectively.

The research team attributes the shortfall to Hong Kong current ticketing arrangements.

It believes unlike Singapore, Hong Kong lacks measures to prevent automated bot buying, creating an unfair market.

In addition, weak legal deterrents against ticket scalping, low transparency in ticket allocation, and small public sales quotas may have undermined organisers' confidence in bringing shows to the city.