Blog

Creating an Amazing New Waterfront: Promoting Tourism Everywhere

During the Labour Day Golden Week, the number of visitor arrivals in Hong Kong has further increased. In the first two days of the Golden Week (1 and 2 May), a total of nearly 570 000 visitor arrivals entered Hong Kong, with almost 490 000 coming from the Mainland, marking a significant 31% increase compared to the same period last year. On 2 May alone, there were 267 000 Mainland visitor arrivals, setting a new record for daily arrivals since the pandemic.

To accommodate the continuous increase in visitor numbers, we are actively expanding our hardware facilities while placing great emphasis on enhancing the travel experience for each visitor. This is key to shaping the "Hong Kong brand", and represents a path to both increased visitor numbers and business.

Hong Kong possesses a rich array of attractions—stunning vistas along Victoria Harbour, a unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures, diverse and exquisite food and wine, vibrant festivals as well as beautiful natural landscapes. We need to better leverage these natural and cultural characteristics to create more appealing destinations and memorable experiences that encourage repeat visits.

The beautiful and vibrant Victoria Harbour is one of Hong Kong's iconic features. The West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD) showcases a strong cultural and artistic atmosphere along the harbourfront, perfectly merging world-class artistic ambiance with the magnificent harbour scenery to create a unique cultural and leisure experience.

During this Labour Day holiday, a four-day event called "Sip & Groove" was hosted at the Art Park of WKCD, blending elements of international wines, smooth jazz, Bossa Nova and street music performances. Coupled with cultural and pet-friendly facilities, a chill harbourfront space was created for residents and tourists.

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) is committed to capitalising on the enchanting cityscape of Victoria Harbour and WKCD’s unique advantage of integration of culture and arts, launching more distinctive activities that integrate art, culture, dining and entertainment. For instance, the recent introduction of the internationally renowned coffee culture event, the "Tokyo Coffee Festival", brought together specialty coffee brands from Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and Japan, merging coffee culture with creativity and providing a fresh experience for residents and tourists. The event attracted over 50,000 participants and resulted in more than a twofold increase in overall foot traffic to the Art Park of WKCD compared to the previous year.

Similarly, Hung Hom, located along the Kowloon waterfront, will offer new experiences for residents and tourists. This year's Budget has proposed to transform the waterfront and former pier area south of Hung Hom Station into a new seaside landmark, seeking to create an innovative entertainment, dining and leisure complex. The overall plan includes adventure facilities to be built on the outdoor areas of upper levels of a tall building (such as aerial walkways, slides and zip lines) and fully utilises the coastline for yacht facilities and water leisure activities, combined with retail, dining and entertainment options on land. We have just proposed preliminary planning concepts for the waterfront area south of Hung Hom Station, focusing on entertainment experiences, water usage and pedestrian accessibility to create a new Harbourfront landmark.

In the future, we will continue to enhance the attractiveness of Hong Kong's Harbourfront through two main strategies: optimising infrastructure and enhancing experiences. The East Coast Boardwalk in North Point, which opened earlier this year, has already earned positive acclaim from many residents and tourists. Projects such as the eastern section of the East Coast Broadwalk, Hung Hom Urban Park (Phase 2), and the Open Space at Eastern Street North in Sai Ying Pun will also be completed this year. Moreover, we will set up refreshment stalls at Harbourfront locations in Central, Wan Chai, North Point and Tsim Sha Tsui, allowing visitors to enjoy a more convenient and comfortable leisure time while appreciating the beautiful views of Victoria Harbour.

In fact, optimising harbour planning is not limited to both sides of Victoria Harbour. We are taking forward the construction of a "Round-the-Island Trail" of approximately 60 kilometers in length. This trail will connect numerous significant landmarks, historical and cultural buildings, beautiful beaches and country parks on Hong Kong Island, forming a distinctive sightseeing route. Visitors will be able to walk through the urban and countryside areas of Hong Kong, savouring the past and present, and experiencing its rich cultural heritage and humanistic charm. To date, 80% of the trail sections have been connected, with a view to connecting 90% by end 2027 and substantially completing the remaining works by end 2031.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is fully committed to promoting "tourism is everywhere". By actively enhancing infrastructure, increasing capacity and optimising the tourism experience, we aim to strengthen Hong Kong's competitiveness as a tourist city and its appeal as a global metropolis, as well as ensure that residents enjoy a higher quality of life and leisure space.

May 4, 2025