The Hong Kong Book Fair concludes today (July 22) at 5 pm, with a total attendance of 890,000 this year.
Due to typhoon Wipha hitting Hong Kong on Sunday (July 20), the book fair was forced to close for one day, reducing the seven-day event by a day. Chong Suk-fan, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, stated that the book fair has always been popular among residents and tourists. Even with the storm's impact, the enthusiasm of book lovers remained undeterred, with many taking advantage of the time before and after the storm to visit and engage in leisure cultural activities, resulting in a vibrant atmosphere. The organizers also extended and adjusted the opening hours on Monday (July 21) to provide more sales and visiting opportunities for exhibitors and attendees, ensuring a successful conclusion to this summer event, Chong said.
The organizers commissioned a research agency to conduct a sample survey of over 860 attendees to understand their spending budgets and reading habits. The survey revealed that the average spending of respondents at the book fair this year was HK$918, a slight increase from last year, accounting for 57% of their annual expenditure on printed books. Additionally, over 90% of the exhibitors at the three main exhibitions offered electronic payment services, with 81% of respondents using electronic payments.
The primary reasons for attendees visiting the book fair were to purchase the latest books (55%), enjoy book discounts (49%), and experience the cultural atmosphere of an international book fair (27%). The book fair remains a place for book lovers to find great reads, as well as an important platform for the publishing industry to showcase new titles and promote sales. The survey also indicated that the top five most popular book categories among readers at the fair were fiction (45%), children's and young adult literature (25%), literature (23%), comics (17%), and supplementary exercises (16%).
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