A year of giant pandas, mega-events and new minister for Hong Kong tourism

Hong Kong’s tourism sector underwent major shifts in 2024, with a surprise bumper sloth of giant pandas, a push for mega-events and the sacking of a minister grabbing some of the year’s biggest headlines. Authorities announced a HK$1.09 billion (US$139 million) package in February to boost the local tourism trade and diversify the industry to adapt to changing visitor trends in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The government also rolled out a slew of measures to boost spending and encourage longer stays in response to calls by Beijing’s top official on Hong Kong affairs to treat every corner of the city as a tourist hotspot. The Post looks back on the year’s tourism highlights. A new minister Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu sacked his tourism and transport ministers late in the year amid growing dissatisfaction with their handling of critical issues under their portfolios. Kevin Yeung Yun-hung and Lam Sai-hung were replaced by Rosanna Law Shuk-pui and Mable Chan respectively in December, with Lee citing a need for “reform mindsets” and effective leadership as key qualities to revitalise the two sectors. Push for mega-events The government highlighted mega-events this year as a strategy to attract visitors, especially those from the Greater Bay Area who may have visited Hong Kong multiple times before. Authorities urged the sector to give those visitors a reason to return, while boosting the city’s image and branding to the rest of the world. But one of the year’s first mega-events, a highly anticipated football friendly between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and the Hong Kong team in February, stirred controversy when the Argentine superstar failed to take to the field due to injury. That same month, lawmakers questioned the financing criteria of the government’s Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund after it was revealed that the organiser of “Chubby Hearts Hong Kong”, an installation event that involved giant heart-shaped balloons being floated around the city, would receive HK$7.8 million (US$1 million) in government support. With over 200 major events listed by the government for 2024 – from trade shows and conferences to sporting events and festivals – there were calls for authorities to more strictly define what “mega-events” were. Giant panda bonanza Hong Kong’s panda population jumped from two to six in short order in the latter half of the year. First, Lee announced that Beijing would be gifting the city two new adult giant pandas – An An and Ke Ke – to mark the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty. A month later, in August, Ocean Park made a surprise announcement that the city’s 19-year-old resident female bear Ying Ying had given birth to twins. “Elder Sister” and “Younger Brother” won residents’ affection as their caretakers gave daily updates on their growth on social media. The twin cubs are scheduled to meet the public soon after the Lunar New Year in February. Expansion of mainland visitor schemes As mainland Chinese travellers ditched luxury shopping for shoestring budgets, cultural experiences and shorter stays, the Hong Kong government asked central authorities to loosen entry restrictions so more mainland residents could visit the city amid a struggling retail and restaurant sector. Authorities subsequently expanded a solo traveller scheme for the first time since 2007. The scheme, which permitted mainland visitors to come to Hong Kong on an individual basis rather than in tour groups, would include residents of Qingdao and Xian, Taiyuan, Hohhot, Harbin, Lhasa, Lanzhou, Xining, Yinchuan and Urumqi. Meanwhile, a multiple-entry visa was relaunched on December 1 that gave over 10 million Shenzhen residents unlimited access to Hong Kong within a year, with stays of up to seven days per trip. The Hong Kong government anticipated a boost in the tourism, retail, and catering industries from the visa schemes. Higher duty-free limit for mainland visitors To stimulate more spending among mainland visitors, Beijing raised the duty-free shopping allowance in June for mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong and Macau – the first change to the original 5,000 yuan threshold since the measure was introduced in 1996. The limit was raised to 12,000 yuan (HK$12,900) per trip, with the amount going up to 15,000 yuan (HK$16,100) at six border crossing duty-free stores. Authorities estimated the measure could increase tourist spending by up to HK$17.6 billion annually. However, the increase was still much lower than the 30,000 yuan per trip the retail sector had hoped for. Monthly drone performances After Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced the government’s billion-dollar investment in tourism in his February budget speech, a source said Hong Kong would hold pyrotechnic and drone shows about once a month for locals and visitors. The performances would be theme-based and coincide with holidays or special events happening around the same time. Shows were subsequently staged for Buddha’s Birthday and the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, Labour Day and the Mid Autumn Festival. There were hits, but also some misses. Two drone shows for National Day were cancelled, with organisers citing poor GPS signals due to solar activity. Initiatives to attract Muslim visitors Tourism Board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said in March that attracting Middle Eastern visitors would be a major focus for his office, with authorities considering a new scheme for halal food certification. Apart from encouraging more restaurants to get halal certified, the board also sought help from CresentRating, a Singapore-based research and consultancy firm focused on the Muslim travel market, to rate some of the city’s hotels and tourist attractions according to how Muslim-friendly they were. Hotels, attractions and key locations such as the airport, were also working towards providing more Muslim-friendly facilities, including prayer rooms and Muslim-friendly bathrooms. In October, Hong Kong’s flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways also revived its nonstop passenger service between Hong Kong and the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Night Vibes campaign fizzles out Launched in September last year, the government’s “Night Vibes” campaign fizzled out in 2024, with no events listed on its official website beyond January. “Night Vibes” was meant to reboot the city’s nightlife after three years of pandemic-induced restrictions with night bazaars, shopping and dining discounts, and special events. But by July, the campaign’s Temple Street night market became the last holdout, with its run scheduled to conclude by the end of the year. Vendors said they would keep the market going for another six-month period until June next year. A more hopeful 2025? Lawmaker Vincent Cheng Wing-shun told the Post in an interview before Christmas that he had high hopes for the tourism sector in the coming year and was especially optimistic about the city’s slate of mega-events. “We achieved a high number of events this year, so next year, I hope we can move on to creating a [bigger] bang,” he said. “I look forward to us hosting events that can really catch the attention of the rest of the world.”

A year of giant pandas, mega-events and new minister for Hong Kong tourism

City pushes hard in 2024 to revitalise its travel sector, with billion-dollar package, expanded visa schemes and giant pandas galore

A new minister