A city’s appeal lies in its dramatic skyline and scenic beauty, as well as its ability to give people from different parts of the world reasons to visit and stay. The Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, an annual autumn highlight, recently returned to the city.

Visitors from around the world strolled through the festival venue with glass in hand, savoring the festive atmosphere and the unique sense of celebration that has helped make Hong Kong Asia’s events capital. This year’s festival delivered impressive results. Organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the four-day event ran from Oct 29 to Nov 1 at the Central Harbourfront Event Space and Tamar Park, attracting more than 171,000 visits, up over 5 percent year-on-year. Sales also rose by about 8 percent. The festival has expanded well beyond traditional wine exhibitions, incorporating food, coffee, fine dining, guided wine tastings and masterclasses led by industry experts. This broader program gave visitors of different ages and interests more reasons to take part. In the opening ceremony, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said the festival showcased Hong Kong’s distinctive appeal and reinforced its standing as a “culinary capital”.

Hong Kong has distinctive advantages that enable it to host food and wine festivals to an international standard. As a meeting point of Chinese and Western cultures, the city has developed a remarkably diverse culinary landscape. Its food culture encompasses time-honored Cantonese cuisine, traditional cha chaan teng (eateries) and street snacks, alongside restaurants and culinary traditions from around the world. This diversity has created a vibrant scene in which different cultures meet and inspire one another. At this year’s festival, international wines and food were presented alongside local delicacies. Some exhibitors even brought a creative twist to the classic Hong Kong egg waffle by incorporating traditional ingredients such as dried tangerine peel and Pu’er tea. Such innovations reflect the city’s ability to blend influences and embrace new ideas. Overseas visitors can discover flavors from around the world while exploring the distinctive tastes of Hong Kong. This combination of international outlook and local character gives the city a competitive edge that is difficult for others to replicate. Hong Kong’s long-established international business networks and favorable business environment provides another solid foundation for hosting world-class food and wine events. Since the abolition of wine import duties in 2008, the city has developed into a regional wine trading and distribution hub, as well as one of the world’s leading centers for wine auctions. The scale of this year’s festival grew larger, with more than 340 booths, up 10 percent from last year, and exhibitors from around 30 countries and regions. Australia, Canada and South Korea set up dedicated pavilions for the first time. Hong Kong’s free-port status, international air links and close connections with the Chinese mainland market further enable wine merchants, food and beverage brands, and industry professionals from around the world to meet, exchange ideas and explore business opportunities here. The festival therefore serves a purpose beyond tourism. It is also a platform for showcasing Hong Kong’s commercial strengths and facilitating international industry exchanges, allowing the city’s brand and its business development to reinforce each other.

Building on the festival’s momentum, the HKTB launched the monthlong Hong Kong Gourmet Month this November, bringing together more than 400 restaurants, bars and food and beverage outlets to offer special dining experiences and promotions. This initiative extends the appeal of a four-day festival into a month-long program of food-related activities and spending. Visitors who miss the festival itself still have reasons to come to Hong Kong and explore its culinary scene, while the commercial momentum generated by the event can continue well beyond its closing day. The success of the Wine and Dine Festival also points to the broader potential of Hong Kong’s event economy. The city is home to a diverse calendar of internationally recognized events, including Art Basel, the Hong Kong Sevens, and major sporting competitions and concerts at the Kai Tak Sports Park. Each attracts a different audience, together helping sustain Hong Kong’s appeal as a tourist destination throughout the year. In the 2026 Policy Address, the chief executive proposed organizing the annual events calendar around three themed seasons — the International Arts Season, the Chinese Arts Season and the Festive Mega Events Season — while promoting closer links between major events and tourism, as well as between culture and tourism. The aim is to bring individual events together under a more coherent and distinctive citywide tourism brand. This is a direction worth pursuing, so that Hong Kong can offer fresh experiences throughout the year and establish itself as an international destination with far more to offer than any single festival or major event. Hong Kong should also continue to improve its services for international visitors. Major events may draw people, but the quality of their overall experience often determines whether they leave with a positive impression and consider returning. Visitors need accessible multilingual information, clear transport directions, convenient payment options and efficient crowd management. Hong Kong already has strong foundations in language services, financial infrastructure, transport and professional services. The next step is to translate these advantages into a more seamless visitor experience.

The city should also make better use of overseas social media platforms and international influencers to showcase its diverse attractions to different markets through authentic firsthand accounts. Genuine visitor recommendations can often do more to build a city’s reputation than promotional messages focused solely on the scale of an event.

It is equally important to build on the city’s strengths through better overall planning and closer cooperation between events across different sectors. The economic benefits should reach more industries and communities, while the city’s international character and diverse appeal should be given greater room to shine. In doing so, Hong Kong can further strengthen its position as Asia’s events capital and a world-class tourism destination.

The author is a member of the Legislative Council and the UN Association of China.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.