The two working groups on developing tourist hotspots and promoting the “silver economy” will commence work by the end of this year, in a bid to strengthen cross-departmental coordination and leverage community efforts to develop the tourism industry and the “silver economy” in Hong Kong.
When delivering the Policy Address on Wednesday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced that the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region will establish the Working Group on Developing Tourist Hotspots and the Working Group on Promoting the Silver Economy, both to be led by the deputy chief secretary for administration, Warner Cheuk Wing-hing.
Cheuk said the two working groups will start work before the end of the year and are expected to formulate specific work plans in the first half of next year.
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“Hong Kong has rich tourism resources, but the city needs to innovate to attract new customers and retain old customers,” Cheuk said at Friday’s press conference.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung added that Hong Kong’s tourism industry development blueprint 2.0 will be announced within this year to formulate forward-looking strategies and measures, focusing on promoting culture, sports ecology and mega events, and on comprehensively developing Hong Kong into a preferred tourism base, including for cruises and smart tourism.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said that the Working Group on Promoting the Silver Economy will launch several measures, including promoting the potential of the elderly as consumers, developing industries for the elderly, introducing “silver finance”, launching retirement financial products for the elderly, strengthening investment education for the elderly, and enhancing the productivity of the elderly.
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“Based on the population ratio forecast, by 2046, one in every three Hong Kong residents will be an elderly person, and the elderly will become a huge consumer group,” Yau said.
