Citywide events, family adventures, and cultural delights await GCC travelers this summer 2026

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has launched its new summer promotion, “Hong Kong Summer Fun”, inviting travellers from the GCC and Middle East to experience a vibrant season of festivals, cultural activities, family attractions, dining, shopping and exclusive travel offers across the city.

Designed to make Hong Kong an even more exciting summer destination, the campaign brings together major events, special hotel and attraction deals, transport discounts, dining offers and in-town spending rewards, giving visitors from the GCC and the wider region more reasons to stay longer and explore the city.

At the heart of the summer programme is the Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival, taking place at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade from 19 June to 1 July. The festival marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races and offers visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy one of Hong Kong’s most colourful traditions in the spectacular setting of Victoria Harbour.

This year’s races will be held on 27 and 28 June, bringing together more than 220 teams and over 4,500 athletes from 16 countries and regions, including Qatar, the Chinese Mainland, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.

Beyond the races, visitors can enjoy a festive waterfront atmosphere featuring a Dragon Boat Food Lane Garden, themed photo spots, a 22-metre traditional wooden dragon boat installation, cultural workshops, live music performances and family-friendly entertainment. The festival will also introduce intangible cultural heritage activities such as fishing net plaiting, blown sugar making and lye rice dumpling making, offering visitors a deeper look into Hong Kong’s living traditions.

As part of “Hong Kong Summer Fun,” visitors can also take advantage of a wide range of offers across attractions, transportation, shopping and dining. Through a partnership with Trip.com Group, travellers booking eligible Hong Kong hotel stays can enjoy attraction ticket offers and public transport discounts of up to 50 per cent, covering popular experiences such as the Peak Tram, theme parks, the Hong Kong Observation Wheel, Noah’s Ark, Airport Express tickets and bus day passes.

From 1 July to 31 August, visitors can also unlock random spending rewards by scanning designated QR codes at nearly 100 participating shopping malls across Hong Kong, including Central Market, ifc mall, K11, Mira Place, New Town Plaza, Times Square, SOGO and Hong Kong International Airport. HKTB will partner with the QTSA and the HKRMA to roll out a citywide series of offers, where visitors can enjoy shopping and dining discounts of up to 50 per cent at various merchants

HKTB Chairman Dr Peter Lam said, “The summer holidays are a golden period for travel, and with a wave of mega events this summer, the HKTB is proud to present the new summer promotion ‘Hong Kong Summer Fun’, leveraging different events to strengthen promotion and partnering with the business community to roll out hundreds of thousands of offers covering attraction, dining, transport and shopping. We aim to attract more overnight visitors to Hong Kong and boost consumption across more sectors. As the headline international flagship event of ‘Hong Kong Summer Fun’, the ‘Sun Life Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Festival’ not only runs over a longer period, but also features a stronger race line-up and more vibrant entertainment programmes than in previous years, offering an experience found only in Hong Kong for locals and visitors, while showcasing Hong Kong’s position as the Events Capital of Asia.”

The summer calendar will also feature a variety of cultural, entertainment, sports and music events, including Hong Kong ICH Month, the Chinese Culture Festival, the Hong Kong Football Festival, the Volleyball Nations League Hong Kong, the FIDE World Team Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, and more.

With its mix of world-class events, family attractions, cultural discoveries, dining, shopping and exclusive summer offers, Hong Kong invites travellers from the GCC and Middle East to enjoy an unforgettable summer holiday in one of Asia’s most dynamic cities.

For more information, visitors can explore the “Hong Kong Summer Fun” platform on the Discover Hong Kong website.