Hong Kong urged to position Greater Bay Area as equine hub, grow racing tourism

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has urged the city to position the Greater Bay Area as a leading equine hub under its first five-year plan, proposing the formation of a distinctive racing circuit for both mainland Chinese and international tourists.

In a submission to the government on Thursday, the club said the equine industry had already been identified as a strategic economic driver under national planning frameworks.

“Hong Kong therefore has an opportunity to play a leading role in helping to develop a world-class equine industry ecosystem across the GBA [Greater Bay Area] and beyond,” it said, referring to Beijing’s initiative to link Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong cities into an integrated economic and business hub.

To achieve this, the club proposed fully leveraging its Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou as a strategic platform for deeper cooperation between the mainland city and Hong Kong.

Together with the city’s racecourses at Happy Valley and Sha Tin, these facilities could “support the introduction of world-class racing and equine events and help position the GBA as a global hub”.

The government is in the midst of a two-month public consultation on its first five-year blueprint aimed at aligning Hong Kong’s development with the national plan from 2026 to 2030.