Bordeaux draw set for Wine and Dine Festival
Rosanna Law says merchants for Bordeaux region's vineyards are expected to be well represented at this year's Wine and Dine Festival. File photo: RTHK
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law says visitors to the upcoming Wine and Dine Festival in October can get a taste of the finer bottles that France's famed Bordeaux vineyards have to offer.
In an interview with Sing Tao Daily published on Tuesday, she said the festival, which made its debut in the SAR in 2009, has now become a signature mega event.
It has been scaled down since its return from the pandemic, but the hope for Law is for it to get back to being the place where wine merchants go to ply their trade.
Also hoped for is a better balance between wine and food this year, with her finding that there were more stalls selling food last year.
Visitors this year will be able to sample Bordeaux wines with the return of the grand tasting pavilion as, Law said, an industry group responsible for promoting the region's offerings globally had been invited, during her visit to France this month, to bring merchants to the SAR.
A further proposal to the group is for it to set up an "Everyday Bordeaux" event so as to recommend the region's offerings that represent high value for money to visitors.
Separately, Law said the SAR should not expect travellers to have the kind of high spending habits that the city is used to.
Hong Kong needs repeat visitors, she added, and the city needs to leave a good impression on tourists, as well as make them feel like home.
Additionally, Law said even though the SAR is co-hosting the National Games in November with Guangdong and Macau, it has to "think very carefully" about whether it should consider applying to stage the Olympic Games under a similar arrangement.
The Olympics, she said, involves different regions globally and the situation is complicated.
Any such application, she pointed out, needs to be in line with the nation's policies, and requires careful assessment of issues such as public finances and resources.
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