To win tourists, Hong Kong needs a visionary government
Building new facilities to attract visitors should not be left just to the developers
The Lunar New Year is fast approaching. You may have friends or relatives from overseas visiting during the holiday, and it could be a headache figuring out what they should see and do, particularly if it is not their first time in Hong Kong.
A few weeks ago, my uncle and his family from Indonesia came for a five-day visit. Disneyland was the first choice for my cousin, as she came with her children. However, my uncle and aunt are not young and were looking for activities that were more relaxing.
I had no idea where to take them after the Sky100 Observation Deck at the ICC and the Symphony of Lights at Victoria Harbour. They could not go shopping all the time, and they had already visited the Big Buddha on Lantau.
Causeway Bay is a popular destination. But there we found many shops lacked variety, with most peddling mainland tourists' favourite items - watches, jewellery and cosmetics. Many old restaurants have been forced to move.
As Hong Kong loses its character and suffers from a lack of vision in developing tourism facilities, other cities are adding to their attractions. Singapore is the most aggressive.
Universal Studios, Marina Bay Sands and ArtScience Museum have opened in recent years. Gardens by the Bay, the city centre park, and Marine Life Park, the world's largest oceanarium, opened last year.
But in Hong Kong, details of the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District have yet to be confirmed.
The cruise terminal at Kai Tak will be completed soon and will bring more tourists. But many tourist destinations are already overcrowded.
The city needs new leisure facilities. To address this, the government should take an active role in developing tourism facilities instead of relying on developers.
Take, for example, Ma Wan Park, developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties. It agreed in 1997 to develop Ma Wan into a new residential area with schools and a theme park. It built a large housing estate, Park Island.
The developer was exempted from a land premium of HK$800 million for building the theme park. But it amended the park's design many times. In 2003, the theme had changed to nature and conservation from the original focus on old Hong Kong and a fishing village. A replica of Noah's Ark is now the park's major attraction.
The concept plans submitted to the Town Planning Board showed that the developer used more vegetation than built infrastructure to fill the theme park. It is clear which costs less.
Recently, the government has become more active in revitalising heritage sites, which have the potential to become new tourist attractions.
It only needs the vision to make this happen.
