Hong Kong tourism plan aims to boost spending, extend stays
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law outlined a five-year plan to raise tourism's annual value added from HK$86.2 billion to HK$126 billion by 2030, leveraging cultural events, local neighborhoods and diversified attractions to turn visitor arrivals into economic gains.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui believes Hong Kong's contrasts – business meetings, countryside hikes and festivals – can persuade travellers to stay longer, spend more and return. As Hong Kong launches its first five-year tourism plan, Law is betting on cultural events and local neighbourhoods to turn visitor arrivals into economic gains.
Hong Kong welcomed 40.7 million visitors in the first nine months of 2026, including 1.41 million mainland travellers during National Day Golden Week, Law said. The government aims to raise tourism's annual value added from HK$86.2 billion in 2024 to HK$126 billion by 2030, and wants visitors from outside mainland China to account for 40 per cent of overnight tourists.
To spread benefits, Law cited Taste Hong Kong, a Tourism Board campaign recommending eateries across all 18 districts, from cha chaan teng to street-food stalls. Another campaign, Hong Kong Good Take, will map about 100 film locations, bringing fans into different neighbourhoods. About one in five visitors from outside China travels onward to the mainland, Law said, but she insisted the city is more than a stopover.
Hong Kong's year-round calendar of international arts, Chinese cultural programmes and festive mega events offers different reasons to return. The Mid-Autumn International Lantern Spectacular drew about 730,000 visits, Law said, while Christmas celebrations and the New Year countdown are followed by Lunar New Year traditions at the Lam Tsuen wishing tree and Wong Tai Sin Temple. The aim, she said, is to generate FOMO – fear of missing out – through unique, time-limited experiences.
Under proposed funding reforms, major performing arts groups would be assessed on their own past attendance, not against other disciplines. Artistic quality and opportunities to perform overseas or on the mainland would also count. In film, Law wants to consolidate support schemes and attract private investment, arguing that Hong Kong cinema must reconnect with moviegoers. In sports, regular international tournaments at Kai Tak Sports Park could encourage trips around sporting events, while a new training scheme would help retired athletes pursue careers in sports management.
Law revealed she has taken up boxing as a hobby, attends regular classes, and describes herself as a foodie who enjoys traditional Chinese restaurants and old-fashioned bakeries. She hikes, recalling a six-hour trek across Lantau, and hopes to try camping or glamping on an outlying island – a childhood wish she hopes to fulfil.