If Mumbai can't, Hong Kong will? The Asian megalopolis is wooing the Indian tourist with gusto, after the Coldplay fiasco last month in India.
The British alternative rock band Coldplay is set to perform in Hong Kong, after their three-date concert in Mumbai. It is part of the Asian leg of their 'Music of the Spheres' tour's Asia leg in the first half of next year, which takes them to Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and Seoul, besides of course, Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Tourism Board is now pulling all the stops in luring the lakhs of Indian fans who were feeling felt out by the BookMyShow fiasco last month. When Coldplay's tickets went on sale last month on the ticketing site BookMyShow, lakhs and lakhs of fans had crowded the site at the appointed time, only to see the servers crashing and later, getting stuck in queues running into lakhs. While a vast majority could not score tickets, many were aghast when tickets to the concert at Navi Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium made it to the black market, as well as international ticket reselling sites like viagogo. It even led to Mumbai Police registering a case at alleged conspiracy, calling in BookMyShow officials for questioning.
Meanwhile, tickets to Coldplay's next date, at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, also scheduled for January, also got sold out in no time.
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This is where Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has stepped in. In an announcement issued on Wednesday afternoon, it called on Indian fans to try their luck as tickets go on sale for the Hong Kong concerts, scheduled for April 9, 11 and 12, 2025, tomorrow. Not only have the authorities of this soverign autonomous region of China called on Indians to try getting their tickes through the online platform City Line, it is also offering exclusive packages that bundle in accommodation through Klook.
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Coldplay's three shows in Hong Kong's brand new Kai Tak Stadium will have on offer 1.5 lakh tickets, priced Rs 4,300 equivalent onward. There are of course, exclusive VIP packages like Kubik Experiences at nearly Rs 38,000 and the Floris Early Entry package a tad less at around Rs 30,000.
"While you're there, immerse yourself in Hong Kong's rich heritage, stunning landscapes, world-class cuisine and endless shopping opportunities," said the note from HKTB, which also pointed out how the city is accessible through several direct flights and is visa-free.
With 93 lakh tickets sold so far, Coldplay's 'Music of the Spheres' is one of the highest grossing concert tours of all time, having earned more than USD 1 billion in ticket sales. The band's anthems include the likes of 'Fix You', 'Yellow', 'Sky Full of Stars' as well as the song they videographed in and around Mumbai, 'Hymn for the Weekend.'