Greater Bay Area tourism plan lauded, but experts warn rifts between Hong Kong, mainland China remain

The central government sees youth engagement as key to turning the Greater Bay Area into an arts and culture destination

However, experts warn that cultural and political differences between Hong Kong and the mainland must first be bridged

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People take photos at a panoramic lookout in Shenzhen, part of the Greater Bay Area. Photo: EPA

Denise Tsang,Chan Ho-himandKathleen Magramo

Published: 8:00am, 6 Jan 2021Updated: 8:42am, 6 Jan 2021

Beijing’s ambition to catapult the Greater Bay Area economic zone, which includes Hong Kong and Macau, into a cultural and tourism hub through youth engagement will have to first address the cross-border political divide, academics and experts have said.

They were responding to a development road map through 2035 revealed last month by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism that prominently highlighted exchanges in such areas as the arts, innovation and technology to bolster young people’s national education and pave the way for their future careers.

The 20-page document also called for bundling the tourism resources of the bay area – composed of nine mainland cities, Hong Kong and Macau – into a travel mecca featuring multi-destination tours, cruises and road trips, intercity arts and culture festivals, and sporting events.

While observers said such initiatives would promote the bay area’s economic prosperity, the central government would need to bridge the cross-border gap in political and cultural views, particularly after 2019’s anti-government protest movement and Beijing’s imposition last year of a national security law on Hong Kong.

A map of the Greater Bay Area, which includes nine mainland cities, Hong Kong and Macau. Photo: AP

“The road map is definitely something positive. But we must think one step forward to look into how Hong Kong youth can be encouraged to join voluntarily,” said Daniel Shek Tan-lei, Polytechnic University’s interim vice-president of research and innovation.

Hong Kong was folded into the massive bay area scheme unveiled by Beijing last February in hopes of creating an economic engine to rival Silicon Valley in the United States. The 11 cities included in the plan have a total population of 71.2 million, and a combined gross domestic product of about US$1.7 trillion, accounting for roughly 12 per cent of China’s economy.