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Golden Roosters Usher in a Happy New Year

On this second day of the Lunar New Year, I wish for a year of peace, fulfillment and blessings for every citizen and prosperity for all trades in Hong Kong.

Among all festivities, the Lunar New Year means the most to Chinese people.  It is also my favourite as there are joyful celebrations with families and friends.  Yesterday, apart from attending a radio programme, I spent my New Year’s day taking part in two very meaningful festive events.

During noon time, I attended the “Food for Sharing, Full of Blessings” event in Hong Kong Disneyland co-organised by the Disneyland and Foodlink, together with a number of grassroots families, to celebrate the New Year.  Foodlink is a charitable organisation founded in 2001 dedicated to reducing food wastage while fostering nutritional wellness among those in need.  In collaboration with the Disneyland and over 100 restaurants, hotels, bakeries and convenience stores, Foodlink delivers safe-to-eat surplus food and ingredients donated by food and beverage outlets to the needy through community networks.  Can you imagine that 3 600 tonnes of food, that is the same weight as 250 double-deck buses, are disposed of in Hong Kong every day?  To minimise domestic and commercial food wastage and to alleviate the burden on landfills, the Government has been putting multi-pronged efforts to advocate “food-wise culture” among the community.  I hope for more support from the public for such dedicated organisations as Foodlink to promote environmental protection and waste reduction, and at the same time to care for those in need.

The Disneyland was filled with bustle and excitement yesterday.  Visitors, old and young, were thrilled to see the Disney characters in traditional Chinese costumes and everyone were queuing up to take pictures with them.  For me, it was a nice surprise to meet Mickey and his friends again last night in Tsim Sha Tsui, watching them singing and dancing on the Disney’s float at the International Chinese New Year Night Parade.  It was the 22nd staging of the Parade, an annual spectacular organised by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) that attracts flocks of tourists from all over the world.  To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, this year’s Parade was the largest ever in Hong Kong, with over 3 000 performers from 26 performing groups.  The float of HKTB was also very well-thought-out.  There were a fortune rooster built from over 200 000 Lego bricks and 20 Lego figures representing people in various sectors of Hong Kong, which symbolised the concerted effort of our community to build a prosperous and stable city.  I was particularly impressed by the enthralling crossover between local marching band Pegasus Vanguard and Bluecoats Drum & Bugle Corps from the USA.  Pegasus Vanguard was the international class champion of last year’s Drumline Battle of Drum Corps International.

We all know that tourism is an integral part of Hong Kong economy that drives the developments of our retail, hotel, food and beverages and many other industries.  Employing over 270 000 people, the tourist industry provides multifarious job opportunities.  Here in Hong Kong, the Lunar New Year means more than gatherings and celebrations as it is also a peak season for tourism.  Every year, HKTB takes this opportunity to present to visitors a series of spectacular events, including night parade, fireworks display and Lam Tsuen Well-wishing Festival, to allure more high-spending visitors who will stay overnight to get a taste of our traditional festive atmosphere.  The long-awaited food trucks will commence business from the seventh day of the Lunar New Year (February 3) and rotate between eight popular tourist spots in the territory.  This will be a brand new experience for tourists and the public to enjoy tasty street snacks in Hong Kong.

The number of visitors to Hong Kong has declined recently due to a number of reasons.  We have hence fine-tuned our strategy to enrich our tourism products and pursue development towards high-value added services targeting at high-spending overnight visitors.  We announced a series of measures in last year’s Budget, focusing on support for the tourism industry to tide over difficult times.  With these measures taking effects, notwithstanding the decline in the overall total number of visitors last year, the visitor number slightly rebounded in the fourth quarter, and that of non-Mainland visitors recorded a year-on-year increase of 3%.  Likewise, visitor arrivals in January 2017 showed initial signs of stablisation.  The government, HKTB and the tourism industry will continue to work together in promoting mega events that showcase gourmet food, fine wine, as well as sports and culture of Hong Kong, and in enhancing our tourist attractions and facilities.  Celebratory events and special offers for tourists will be rolled out to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR.  With concerted efforts, I am positive that Hong Kong’s tourism and the rest of our economy will continue to flourish and bloom in the year to come.

January 29, 2017