Hong Kong’s ‘soft power’ can give tourism sector a boost, experts say

The development of Hong Kong’s “soft power” will help to bring in more visitors and budget cuts for the tourism sector do not necessarily translate to less development for the industry, lawmakers and insiders have said.

Their comments followed finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po’s budget on Wednesday, under which funding for the Tourism Board for the coming year will drop by around 19.1 per cent to HK$1.23 billion (US$157.7 million) amid an overall government deficit.

Creative industries, meanwhile, will receive an estimated HK$1.22 billion, up 25.3 per cent from last year, while the sports and recreation sector will get HK$1.48 billion – more than double the amount in the last budget. All of the sectors fall under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau headed by Rosanna Law Shuk-pui.

Lawmaker Adrian Ho King-hong said on Thursday that the shift in resources was necessary because of the government’s financial situation.

“Our financial reserves are limited, and resource allocation must be effective,” he said.

“Historically, the Tourism Board has received substantial support, while our creative and cultural industries have been comparatively underfunded.”