The Hong Kong Jockey Club formalised a partnership with the Guangzhou government on Tuesday to develop horse-themed tourism in the Greater Bay Area, covering policy support, publicity, tourism products and industry development.
A memorandum of understanding was signed at the Hong Kong Science Park by the club and the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau.
Under the agreement, the Guangzhou government will support incorporating racing tourism into cross-border collaborative projects, and the Conghua Racecourse is to be positioned as a “world-class integrated destination for horse-themed culture, sports and tourism”.
The strategy leverages a “Two Cities, Three Racecourses” concept, linking Happy Valley and Sha Tin in Hong Kong with Conghua to drive regional tourism development.
In addition to enhancing online and offline publicity, both parties will collaborate on video production to promote world-class racing at Conghua with large-scale promotional activities.
Guangzhou authorities will also support the club’s participation in major tourism exhibitions in the city.
The city plans to launch “one-trip multi-stop” itineraries linking the three racecourses, marketing racing tourism as a signature attraction for high-end domestic and international business travellers.
The club will also partner with Guangzhou media and academic institutions to strengthen talent cultivation in equine sports and culture.
This follows plans for the club to launch international-standard racing at Conghua Racecourse in October 2026. The venue will feature a series of horse-related events and entertainment experiences.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by officials including Leung Chun-ying, the vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Guangzhou mayor Sun Zhiyang and Raymond Tam, the HKJC’s executive director.
The MOU was signed by Ronald Chan, the club’s head of mainland affairs, and Li Ruolan, chief engineer of the Guangzhou tourism bureau.
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