The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) and the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau (GZCRTTB) today (17 March) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the unique racing tourism concept of “Two Cities, Three Racecourses”, namely Happy Valley Racecourse and Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong and Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou. The aim is to support Guangzhou as a world-class tourism city and to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s events capital.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park by Ronald Chan, Club Head of Mainland Affairs, and Li Ruolan, Party Group Member and Chief Engineer of the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau. It was witnessed by C Y Leung, Vice Chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; Sun Zhiyang, Mayor of the Guangzhou Municipal Government; Lyu Feng, Deputy Director of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR; Zhu Wei, Executive Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Greater Bay Area Office; Liu Yumei, Director of the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau; and Raymond Tam, Club Executive Director, Corporate Affairs.
The Club is a world-class horse sports and entertainment organisation that acts continuously for the betterment of our society and with a strong commitment to the nation and to Hong Kong. Leveraging the institutional advantages of “One Country, Two Systems” and the policy guidelines for integration within the GBA, the Club promotes collaboration within the equine industry chain, supports culture, sports and tourism in the region, and contributes to regional economic development. An important highlight will be the launch in October of international-standard racing and a series of culture, sports and tourism events at Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou. This will be a significant milestone for the Club’s support for national equine industry development in the GBA and beyond.
In the Memorandum of Understanding, the Club and GZCRTTB agree to jointly promote horse-themed culture, sports and tourism in the GBA utilising the advantages of “Two Cities, Three Racecourses”. Specifically, they will collaborate in four areas:
1. Policy support: GZCRTTB supports the inclusion of racing tourism in Guangdong-Hong Kong or Guangzhou-Hong Kong collaborative initiatives in culture, sports and tourism, as well as the positioning of Conghua Racecourse as a world-class integrated destination for horse-themed culture, sports and tourism. It also supports the Club in leveraging “Two Cities, Three Racecourses” to promote tourism in Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
2. Promotion and publicity: Apart from strengthening online and offline promotions, both sides will jointly explore video production and promotion of world-class racing events at Conghua Racecourse. They will also organise large-scale promotional activities on horse culture and equine sports to enhance the visibility and influence of the GBA as a world-class sports tourism destination. In addition, GZCRTTB will support the Club via major tourism exhibitions in Guangzhou to promote racing tourism.
3. Racing tourism product design: GZCRTTB will encourage leading tourism enterprises to collaborate with the Club, focusing on horse-themed cultural, sports and tourism activities at Conghua Racecourse and launching “one-trip multi-stop” tourism products to link up the Club’s racecourses in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. To appeal to high-end domestic and international business traveller groups, racing tourism will be positioned as a distinctive highlight of business tourism in the GBA.
4. Industry support: The Club will collaborate with relevant media organisations and institutions in Guangzhou to enhance talent cultivation with a focus on equine sports events and horse culture promotion.
Conghua Racecourse is a paradigm of Guangdong-Hong Kong cooperation, and has received strong support from the Chinese Mainland authorities at different levels and the HKSAR Government. Its ability to take forward “Three Innovations” (namely, institutional innovation, technological innovation, and industry innovation) has allowed the racecourse to stand as not only a world-class racehorse training facility but also a core engine, co-created by the Club and Guangzhou, for equine industry growth. The innovations include seamless cross-border horse movement and quarantine and permission for Hong Kong or overseas veterinarians to practice at the Conghua Racecourse. In addition, green building technologies have been utilised for the construction of the grandstand while brand-new retail, dining, and interactive experiences will provide a platform for showcasing world-class horse racing, equine sports and horse culture.
In response to the National Equine Industry Development Plan promulgated by the General Administration of Sport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Club signed a framework cooperation agreement with the Guangzhou Municipal Government in 2021. It aims to jointly promote Guangzhou-Hong Kong Equine Industry Collaboration, with the Club’s Conghua Racecourse being a key driving force. At the same time, the Club actively supports the HKSAR Government’s racing tourism policy, leveraging the racing and entertainment experiences offered by its two racecourses in Hong Kong to support the events and tourism economy development in the city.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class sports and entertainment organisation that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2024/25, the Club returned a total of HK$39.1 billion to the community. This included HK$30.1 billion to the HKSAR Government in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$9.0 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is one of the world’s leading charity donors.
