Hong Kong Sevens injected almost US$100 million into local economy on Kai Tak debut
According to Nielsen, the amount generated placed the event between a Formula 1 race and a world championship for an Olympic sport
This year’s Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens pumped almost US$100 million into the city’s economy, according to a report from leading global analytics firm Nielsen.
Held at Kai Tak Stadium for the first time, the three-day event in March had a total attendance of 110,907, the report said, with Saturday drawing the largest number of fans to the 50,000-seat venue.
While local supporters made up the lion’s share of that figure, almost 24 per cent were visitors, with officials estimating that 10,000 had made the trip.
That was reflected in the US$12.5 million Nielsen said was spent on flights – the largest outlay when it came to direct economic impact – with spending on food and drink coming in second at US$12.1 million.
The action on the pitch reportedly reached 11.7 million viewers overseas and was broadcast across 16 markets, while media from 25 countries and territories covered the 72 matches that took place.
According to Nielsen, the US$97.9 million generated, of which US$43.2 million was considered secondary spending, placed the Sevens between the US$120 million typically brought in by a Formula 1 race and the US$69 million associated with hosting a multi-day world championships for an Olympic sport.