Financial Secretary Paul Chan said today in his 2026-27 Budget that the Government will continue to promote the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism to provide a better urban living experience for residents and visitors.

In the coming year, the Government will allocate $1.66 billion to the Tourism Board. The board will scale up its flagship events and promotions, introducing new elements, extending the duration of events, and organising more signature festive events to highlight Hong Kong's East-meets-West uniqueness.

Building on the success of last year's “Immersive Light Show in Central”, which featured spectacular 3D light shows, the board will launch a brand-new show focused on the theme of light festivals. It will be held at various locations at different times of the year and will replace “A Symphony of Lights”.

To attract high-end overnight visitors, the Tourism Board will step up marketing efforts in source markets with good potential, including Mainland cities outside Guangdong, and emerging markets such as Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries and the Middle East. 

Hong Kong will also continue strengthening co-operation with the Greater Bay Area and other Mainland provinces and municipalities, and exploring options for multi-destination flight itineraries with airlines.

On revitalising historic buildings, Mr Chan said the Government will earmark additional funding of $1 billion for the Built Heritage Conservation Fund to carry on its work.

Following the opening of the Eastern Section of the East Coast Boardwalk in North Point at the end of last year, the 13km-long harbourfront from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan has now been fully pedestrianised.

Adhering to the incremental approach taken in enhancing the harbourfront, the Government plans to conduct a consultation on the construction of a pedestrian walkway at the praya in Kennedy Town in the second quarter of this year. Following the phased opening of a waterfront site near Hung Hom Station this quarter, Kowloon’s harbourfront promenades will extend to about 15km in length.

To support the “tourism is everywhere” ethos and promote “urban-rural integration”, the Budget proposes allocating $200 million to launch the “Northern Metropolis Urban-rural Integration Fund” as a pilot scheme. The scheme aims to encourage non-governmental organisations and relevant bodies to take forward rural tourism projects and bring economic vitality to rural villages.

With regard to sports, the Government will allocate more resources to promote sports in the community, support elite sports, maintain Hong Kong as a centre for major international sports events, enhance professionalism in sports, and develop sports as an industry.

It will inject $1.2 billion into the sports portion of the Arts & Sport Development Fund to further promote sports development, including strengthening training for team sports athletes, improving the professional standards of coaches, and bringing more diverse and higher-level sports competitions to Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, as part of its ambition to develop Hong Kong into a global trading hub for “premium” arts, the Government is due to finalise the details of its collaboration with Art Basel over the coming five years.

To strengthen Hong Kong's position as one of the world's top three arts trading centres, the Government has initiated a study focused on exploring areas such as financing and talent development. The study is expected to be completed this year.