Hong Kong Tourism Board Director, Ms. Luo Shupei: It is expected that the number of visitors to Hong Kong this year will reach 53.8 million, an increase of about 8% compared to last year.

The Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Luo Shupei, predicted today at the Budget Press Conference that the total number of visitors to Hong Kong in 2026 will reach 53.8 million, an increase of approximately 8% compared to last year. Luo Shupei stated that in the future, there will be a series of cultural and sports events. The Hong Kong Tourism Board will take advantage of this positive momentum to launch new promotional activities globally in 2026, enhancing Hong Kong's status as a world-class "Asian international metropolis," particularly targeting potential markets such as cities outside Guangdong Province, as well as the Middle East and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) emerging markets, to attract more overnight visitors. The Hong Kong Tourism Board will also further develop Hong Kong as the "City of Mega Events," increasing the scale and promotion of flagship events, introducing new highlights, extending the duration of events, and launching more distinctive festive activities, including the Mid-Autumn Festival and Halloween, to highlight Hong Kong's unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures. The Hong Kong Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will collaborate with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to launch a new performance theme based on light and shadow tours in stages to replace the "Symphony of Lights," which has accompanied Hong Kong for over 20 years, completed its historic mission, and is about to retire, enriching the experience for visitors during different festivals. Detailed information will be announced by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in due course. Luo Shupei mentioned that efforts will also be made to promote various types of conferences, exhibitions, and incentive tourism in Hong Kong, as well as to attract more international cruise ships to include Hong Kong in their itineraries. From January to February this year, over 50 cruise ships visited Hong Kong, and during the first to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, there were daily cruise ship stops in Hong Kong. Efforts will continue to deepen cooperation with the Greater Bay Area, other provinces and cities in mainland China, and the industry, including discussing with airlines to launch "one journey, multiple stops" itineraries to attract more overseas tourists to visit Hong Kong and mainland China. Besides the Hong Kong Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, other policy bureaus and departments are also working together to promote tourism development. The Budget mentioned measures related to international exhibitions by the Hong Kong Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, with the Development Bureau continuing to optimize the waterfront and allocating HK$1 billion to the Conservation of Historical Buildings Fund to revitalize historical buildings, as well as allocating HK$200 million to launch the "Northern Gateway Urban and Rural Integration Fund" pilot program to promote rural tourism projects. In terms of sports, the development of sports in Hong Kong has been excellent in recent years, with athletes' achievements on the international stage continuously improving, demonstrating the substantial results of the government's investment in elite sports. The government will continue to allocate resources to promote the development of sports in Hong Kong. This year's Budget proposes an injection of HK$1.2 billion into the sports sector of the Arts and Sports Development Fund to continue promoting sports development. The sports portion of the Arts and Sports Development Fund has been supporting Chinese Hong Kong athletes in preparing for and participating in major international competitions, supporting sports federations in organizing international sports events, and supporting other projects of significant importance in promoting and developing sports. In the coming year, more resources will be deployed to expand and optimize projects. Specifically, support will be strengthened in the following aspects: Firstly, supporting a more diverse and higher-level sports events in Hong Kong. Currently, Hong Kong hosts around 140 different types of local international sports activities annually. Starting from the next round of approved applications, funding will be increased by 50% to encourage local sports federations and organizations to host more events of different scales, such as single events jointly held with cities in the Greater Bay Area. The authorities will continue to sponsor approximately 20 international large-scale sports events each year through the "M" brand system to solidify Hong Kong's position as an international sports event capital. Secondly, the government will strengthen the training of inter-sports project athletes. The Inter-Sports Project Development Plan was optimized in 2024, and will be reviewed again after this year's Asian Games, to determine the inter-sports projects, funding details, and amounts covered from next April onwards. Before this year's Asian Games, subsidies to sports federations will be enhanced to encourage inter-sports projects to participate in more events, aiming for excellence and performance improvement. Thirdly, optimizing coach training programs. The government will support the Sports Association of Hong Kong, China and the Olympic Committee, that is, the HKACEP, to organize more certified coach training courses to improve the coach certification system, enhance coach professionalism, and align with the development of elite and grassroots sports. Fourthly, continuing the Urban Sports Subsidy Program. Cooperation with sports organizations will continue to promote urban sports projects such as three-on-three basketball, skateboarding, sport climbing, in schools and communities. March 1 marks the first anniversary of the Kai Tak Sports Park. In the past year, the park has successfully hosted various sports and cultural events. In fact, within less than a year of its opening, the main venue of the park has achieved the best ticket sales in Asia and the third best globally. The Hong Kong Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau will continue to work with the Kai Tak Sports Park Company to strive for more large-scale international sports events and activities to be held at the park, deepening the development strategy of "sports + events." In terms of culture and arts, efforts will continue to promote the industrialization of culture and creativity. Art trading is an important part of the industrial development of culture and the arts. Hong Kong is one of the world's top three art trading centers, and the Art Basel Hong Kong show has become the flagship annual art event in Hong Kong, with arrangements for collaboration with Art Basel agreed for the next five years to consolidate Hong Kong's position in the art trading sector. To strengthen this advantage, the authorities are also studying financing and talent in various fields and are expected to complete them within the year. In March, Hong Kong will once again host international art events, such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival with a history of 53 years, Art Central art exhibition showcasing exquisite artworks from top galleries, and events combining music, art, and trends. Efforts are also being made to promote the industrialization of performing arts. The Hong Kong Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau supported the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in successfully organizing the first Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo (HKPAX) in 2024, which facilitated international exchanges, business negotiations, and promotions. The Hong Kong Arts Development Council will hold the second edition of the five-day HKPAX in October this year, expected to attract 2,000 global industry participants and 40,000 attendees. The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority will also enhance cultural and artistic creativity projects. For example, exhibitions from the Hong Kong Palace Museum and M+ have been touring in mainland China and overseas, and the Authority's commissioned "The Great Cheung King" is actively preparing for the next tour. In the cultural and creative industries, Luo Shupei stated that efforts are being made to promote cultural arts and creativity, with over HK$9 billion invested in total in programs such as the Creative Smart Initiative and the Film Development Fund to inject new momentum into economic development.