HONG KONG: The world's sailing superpowers will hoist their sails in Victoria Harbour for the first time next autumn, launched into action by the Hong Kong government's latest tourism initiatives.

The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club yesterday won a slice of HK$25.2 million-government funding to stage Hong Kong's first world-class sailing competition.

"The race will attract the world's top yacht racing athletes, their crews, sponsors as well as fans. We're hoping for more than 20,000 visitors," said Betty Chan, a club spokeswoman.

She said the Louis Vuitton Hong Kong Trophy will be part of a series of international yacht races that will take place worldwide, with venues including Nice, France.

Hong Kong will be the only Asian city hosting a major regatta, she said.

Chan said she hopes the government can help the club rent a place in Central for putting up a huge screen and arranging spectators' seats for cheering crowds to watch the event live from October 27 to December 5 next year.

She added that they will need a dock for the yachts, ideally in Victoria Harbour.

Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung, the chairman of the Mega Events Fund Assessment Committee, said the race is one of the six events that have won its funding for drawing more tourists to Hong Kong.

He said more than 140,000 spectators, participants and journalists will take part in the events and over 1,900 jobs will be created.

Lam said each project is expected to get government sponsorship ranging from HK$800,000 to about HK$10 million but he declined to say exactly how much each organizer will get.

Vincent Fung Hao-yin, an assistant commissioner for tourism, said groups will be required to return all surplus proceeds from the events to the government if they make money.

A spokeswoman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said the financial reports of the events may be made public if required when they are over.

Hong Kong Tennis Patrons' Association also won funding to host a four-day international tennis tournament at Victoria Park in January next year.

Terry Catton, the co-tournament director of the Hong Kong Tennis Classic 2010 "World Team Challenge", said 12 world-class players will compete for the title, in the event that is considered a warm up for the Australian Open Tennis Tournament.

But he declined to name the 12 players, saying an announcement would be made next Tuesday.

The events aren't all about sporting events, and about 5,000 musicians will play harmonica together at the Happy Valley Racecourse on November 13 this year in a bid to break the Guinness World Record.

Tiphanie Chan, the publications editor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the organizer of the event, said tickets will be up for grabs free of charge.

Next spring, more than 70 renowned acappella groups abroad will stage a series of indoor and outdoor concerts, the government spokesman said.

But Lam did not name the groups yesterday.

Tourists are likely to be drawn to all the bright lanterns in Mui Wo next March.

Lam Yuk-wah, a spokesman for the Hung Shing Festival Preparatory Committee, a winner of the funding, said he hopes overseas exhibitors and their families visiting Hong Kong on business trips will be enticed to the local event.

The HK$100 million Mega Events Fund, proposed by the financial secretary in his February budget speech to subsidize non-profit-making groups to stage arts, cultural and sports events, will open for second-round funding applications next month.

Lam said it is too early to say whether more money will be poured into the fund.

(HK Edition 10/23/2009 page1)