The economic benefits of hosting shows by US pop star Lady Gaga would have to be weighed against the requirements for securing an exclusive Asian stop, observers in Hong Kong said on Monday after rival Singapore signed up the singer for four dates in May following Taylor Swift’s concerts last year.
The opening earlier this month of Kai Tak Sports Park, with its main 50,000-seat stadium, could give the city more leverage in the future to secure high-profile, global events for fresh growth in tourism and spending, they said.
“How much would you have to offer for the benefits in return? The government would have to calculate. We don’t have the data on hand,” Travel Industry Council (TIC) chairman Tommy Tam Kwong-shun said.
Lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon said the deal would have involved very complicated commercial negotiations and was not as straightforward as extending and accepting an invitation.
“In order to secure an Asia monopoly, they might have had to offer a lot, which is something we do not know, and what they announce will not be all of their details because they will have commercial secrets,” Kong said.
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