This year, you can safely enjoy the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival from the comfort of your home as the annual event will be held on a virtual platform. By Tanvi Jain
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has announced that its annual signature event — Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival — will for the first time be celebrated in a virtual format.
“The Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival has been one of the most popular events among locals and tourists alike since its inception over a decade ago. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak this year, we hope people can continue to enjoy Hong Kong’s unique dining culture while providing business opportunities for the local F&B sector amidst this challenging economic climate. Organising the festival virtually allows us to achieve both the objectives without compromising on the health and safety of the public,” HKTB Chairman Dr YK Pang said.
“The virtual Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival will strive to recreate the festive, joie de vivre atmosphere that the event is famous for, by offering access to exclusive wine and gourmet experiences curated by experts. Taking advantage of the virtual format, the event will be extended from the usual four days to several weeks so that more people can participate regardless of time and geographical constraints,” he added.
The Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival was earlier scheduled to take place from October 29 to November 1 this year.
Since its launch in 2009, after Hong Kong and Bordeaux signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation in Wine-related Business, it has managed to attract more than 1.4 lakh visitors annually and features over 400 wine and food booths from different brands and wineries across the planet.
Apart from this, the annual Hong Kong Cyclothon, which was supposed to take place in November this year was also cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Related: Art Basel, Hong Kong Goes Virtual With Online Viewing Rooms
