Hong Kong Tourism Board implements multiple measures to accelerate the construction of a city of cultural, artistic, and sports events.

On January 27, during the policy briefing session of the Legislative Council Panel on Home Affairs and Culture and Sports, the Director of the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Ms. Rosa Law, mentioned that in terms of cultural and artistic development, the department has announced the "Blueprint for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries" in November 2024. The department will continue to promote the development of cultural and creative industries outlined in the blueprint. Promoting Chinese culture is an important aspect of this work, and the Office for the Promotion of Chinese Culture under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department actively promotes Chinese cultural festivals and exhibitions and establishes museums to introduce the country's development and achievements as well as Chinese cultural experience centers. Hong Kong is one of the world's three major art trading centers. Many international renowned galleries, auction houses and art fairs have set up in Hong Kong. The Basel Art Fair in Hong Kong has become an international visual arts event rooted in Hong Kong since its establishment in 2013. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong is actively strengthening the international art trading platform and seeking to finalize future cooperation arrangements with the Basel Art Fair and consolidate Hong Kong's position as the only host city in the region. The department will also conduct research with the industry on the taxation, financing, and talent aspects of art trading to explore policy measures applicable to Hong Kong and is expected to complete this within the year. The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority of Hong Kong will establish an international network of cooperation with cultural heritage and art restoration institutions at home and abroad to enhance curatorial and art restoration as well as arts administration talent training. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will continue to support the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in the development and operation of the West Kowloon Project in a self-financing manner, promoting the development of the Hong Kong cultural and creative industry chain through various long-term industry development measures and optimizing the financial sustainability of the Authority. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong has reformed and reshaped the booking procedures for performing venues under the Hong Kong Arts and Culture Bureau, including changing the positioning of the Hong Kong Coliseum to prioritize concerts and developing the East Kowloon Cultural Centre as a long-term performance and arts and technology venue. The positioning of performing venues under the Hong Kong Arts and Culture Bureau will be more specific, and with the new cultural facilities being built, it aims to provide more space for the performing arts sector. In addition, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong announced the first round of results of the Key Performing Arts Projects plan last month, with two selected projects "Fengyun, the Boundless Realm: The Comic Martial Arts Dance Drama" and "McDull Story: The Stage Play" both being original IPs from Hong Kong showcasing the talent and creativity of local artistic talents. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will attract local citizens and tourists to participate through flagship cultural and arts projects such as the Hong Kong Popular Culture Festival, "Asia A-art Unbounded" Art Festival, Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo, and Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Month. In addition, the department will strengthen the promotion of regional intangible cultural heritage features and create a "Hong Kong Everywhere with Intangible Cultural Heritage" initiative. Through policy innovation, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will work to review the funding system for arts groups, including using performance indicators for evaluation and establishing an "entry and exit mechanism" for major arts groups, to ensure effective resource utilization and encourage continuous pursuit of artistic excellence. Earlier, the Hong Kong Arts and Culture Bureau selected 24 of its facilities and invited interested organizations to submit proposals for market-operated models to provide more diverse value-added activities, including open leasing, renting out facilities for commercial or private events on museum closure days, etc., with a positive response. The Bureau is currently sorting through the feedback received and plans to commission professional service providers to implement the plan in the first half of this year. In terms of sports, the 15th National Games jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, as well as the 12th National Paralympic Games and the 9th Special Olympics, were successfully held in November and December last year, marking an important milestone in the development of sports in Hong Kong. This not only demonstrated Hong Kong's ability to host large-scale events and sports competitions but also laid a solid foundation for more large-scale events to be held through cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will utilize this successful experience to strengthen cooperation within the Greater Bay Area and contribute to the construction of a strong sports nation. Kai Tak Sports Park is an important carrier for the sports event and industrialization of Hong Kong. Since its official opening on March 1 last year, it has become a new hub for large sports and entertainment events. In just over ten months since its opening, several large sports and entertainment events have been held in the park. The main venue at Kai Tak has already successfully hosted 50 large sports events and concerts, attracting over 1.8 million audience entries; in addition to the return of acclaimed sports events this year, large-scale concerts are also expected to be staged one after another. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will continue to supervise the operation of Kai Tak Sports Park, actively promote the development of "sports + events," and consolidate Hong Kong's position as the "City of Asian Events." The department will reassess the positioning of large stadiums in Hong Kong and hopes to collaborate with Kai Tak Sports Park to make better use of existing facilities to support sports development. In 2025, 25 events were awarded the "M" brand recognition. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will continue to support the holding of large international sports events in Hong Kong through the "M" brand plan, to allocate resources more strategically, effectively, and accurately to support high-quality and economically beneficial large-scale sports activities. The Hong Kong government has successfully reached a long-term cooperation arrangement with the world-class men's professional golf league LIVE Golf to host relevant events in Hong Kong in 2026 and 2027. To support Hong Kong athletes in fully preparing for the 2026 Asian Games, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will ensure that support for elite athletes aligns closely with their needs and the latest developments in the international sports arena. The Hong Kong Sports Institute implemented the revised "Direct Financial Aid for Elite Athletes" in April 2025 and will continue to promote sports science and sports medicine through the "Sports Research Funding Program" to strengthen athlete training using research results. In terms of enhancing sports professionalism, the "Sports Dispute Resolution Pilot Program" launched by the Hong Kong Department of Justice in collaboration with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department was officially launched on December 11, 2025, to resolve sports disputes through mediation and arbitration, ensuring systematic fairness, efficiency, and convenience to guarantee the long-term development of the sports industry. The Sports Governance Code had been implemented gradually by the Sports Association of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Olympic Committee and is now in place with various sports associations. Furthermore, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong will support Asian or international sports governing bodies to establish themselves in Hong Kong while providing funding to encourage active participation in the work of Asian and international sports organizations, enhancing Hong Kong's voice, influence, and connectivity in the international sports arena. The Hong Kong Sports Association and Olympic Committee will host the ANOC General Assembly in December 2026, and the department will actively promote the development of Hong Kong's cultural, artistic, and sports sectors in the coming year.