In support of the 2026 Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (“the Club”) today (10 June) hosted a closing banquet at Happy Valley Racecourse for forum guests. The inaugural Tourism Cup was also held on the same evening, in collaboration with strategic partner China Tourism Group (CTS Holdings HK) (“CTG”) to promote horse racing tourism and reinforce the city’s position as an international tourism hub.
Organised by CTG, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (“TIC”) and the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners (“FHKHO”), the 2026 Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum was held under the theme of “Win-win Collaboration · Tech-Empowerment — Supporting Hong Kong in Consolidating its Position as a World-Class Premier Tourism Destination” – attracting over 500 guests from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas.
Guests attending the banquet included: The Hon Martin Liao, Chairman of the Club; Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Club; Wang Haimin, Chairman of CTG; Zhang Xu, President of World Tourism Alliance; Zhang Weiguo, Director of the Network of International Culturalink Entities; Dai Bin, President of China Tourism Academy; Chen Yin, Member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference; Jin Hongyan, Chief Accountant of CTG; Jian Yi, Vice General Manager of CTG; Zhang Dong, Director of the Asia Tourism Exchange Center; Liu Gang, Senior Officer, Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific, World Tourism Organisation; The Hon Perry Yiu, Member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR and Chairman of China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited; The Hon Vivian Kong, Member of the Legislative Council of the HKSAR; Tommy Tam, Chairman of TIC; and Caspar Tsui, Executive Director of FHKHO. Members of Board of Management of the Club including Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing; Raymond Tam, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs; Terecina Kwong, Executive Director, Membership and Customer Excellence; and Casper Stylsvig, Executive Director, Sports Business, also attended.
The Hon Martin Liao, Chairman of the Club, congratulated the success of the 2026 Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum and welcomed guests to Happy Valley Racecourse to experience the unique atmosphere of Hong Kong’s world-class racing. He said horse racing, deeply loved by the public, is an iconic symbol of the city. It has become one of Hong Kong’s most compelling tourism attractions for visitors from around the world. CTG as the Club’s strategic partner, has brought nearly 11,000 high-end travellers to the racecourses since last year, he noted. So far this season, the Club has welcomed a record 350,000 tourists – an increase of 94% compared with last year – demonstrating the growing appeal of horse racing tourism, he said.
Jian Yi, Vice General Manager of CTG expressed his gratitude to the Club for sponsoring the closing banquet of the 2026 Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum. He said CTG and the Club have integrated resources across multiple areas, including the establishment of a regular communication mechanism, joint organisation of the New Quality Productive Forces Summer Study Tour, development of co-branded cultural and creative merchandises, participation in the International Travel Expo Hong Kong, and promotion of horse racing tourism experiences. These achievements demonstrate that cross-sector cooperation and strong partnerships are key to driving innovation in Hong Kong’s tourism development.
During the banquet, Jian Yi, Vice General Manager of CTG, presented the Club with a model of the “Adora Magic City” cruise ship. Casper Stylsvig, Executive Director, Sports Business of the Club, presented CTG with a horse sculpture, marking another important milestone in the collaboration between the two parties.
The Tourism Cup was won by the Tony Cruz-trained Viva Firecracker under jockey Karis Teetan.
Last year, the Club signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CTG to strengthen their strategic partnership in support of tourism, sports, cultural exchange and youth development, with the aim of promoting tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The collaboration includes the joint promotion of horse racing tourism by incorporating the Club’s Happy Valley, Sha Tin and Conghua racecourses into CTG’s travel itineraries - Conghua will host regular race meetings starting from October.
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.
