Hong Kong to scrutinise Central Harbourfront lease after hot-air balloon saga

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to strengthen the government’s say in the renewal of a private operator’s lease for the Central Harbourfront next year, following the city’s recent hot-air balloon festival saga.

Earlier this month, the HK$30 million (US$3.8 million) four-day AIA International Hot Air Balloon Fest, held at the Central Harbourfront Event Space, drew fire after the organiser failed to obtain a licence for its advertised tethered balloon rides.

The government only approved the festival’s hot-air balloon display before the event opened, but prohibited the balloon from carrying passengers, calling the first field test in August “unsatisfactory” and posing “significant safety risks”.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu discussed the saga on Tuesday, saying that while the government was in a position to promote events, it should be stringent in monitoring those that carried higher risks and put safety first, citing a past incident involving a hot-air balloon at Ocean Park in 2012.

There was also room for improvement in boosting transparency and sharing information to let residents better understand the situation, especially when a monitoring body found an event had not reached “certain standards”, he added.

Lee said that in light of the incident, the government would review the lease for the Central Harbourfront when it was set to sign a new one in the middle of next year.