Motion”Taking forward red tourism and the panda economy in Hong Kong“
Deputy President, red tourism plays a significant role in promoting patriotic education. For example, through visiting historical relics and joining talks and exhibitions held by the Hong Kong Museum of History and at other historical sites, members of the public can gain first-hand understanding about the specific stories of revolution and the deeds of the heroes, further deepening their understanding of our country’s development and enhancing their knowledge of and feelings for our country. In addition, through the organization of various cultural activities, such as stage plays, concerts and films, red tourism can enhance people’s understanding of our country’s history, revolutionary journey and patriotic spirits. Apart from maximizing the effect of patriotic education, it can also foster multi-cultural exchange and integration in the society. Therefore, I would like to thank Mr CHAN Yung for proposing today’s motion to urge the SAR Government to adopt proactive measures to take forward red tourism and the panda economy in Hong Kong.
Deputy President, the State has again gifted a pair of pandas to Hong Kong to fully demonstrate the Central Government’s care and support for HKSAR. Panda symbolizes the emotional connection between our country and Hong Kong, and members of the public should not only be the audience of the pandas, but should also be their guardians. However, except for real fans of the pandas, I believe that members of the general public will only find the pandas adorable, and they may have difficulties in distinguishing between the two pairs of adult giant pandas and hardly know much about their daily living environment and eating habits. In my case, I have just learnt from Mr TANG Fei’s sharing on a radio programme that for giant pandas, they can be called “熊貓” (meaning bear-like cat) or “貓熊” (meaning cat-like bear) in Chinese.
For members of the general public, we must first establish their emotional connection with the pandas. The panda naming and painting competitions organized by the Government and Ocean Park serve as a good entry point, but we should keep the momentum and put in even more efforts, such as launching a TV programme on the three pairs of pandas in conjunction with Ocean Park or organizing a giant panda trivia quiz for primary and secondary school students across the 18 districts to enhance the public’s understanding of the pandas and their habitat, thereby establishing an emotional bond with them through fun-filled and interactive activities.
The Government may also consider designating August as the Panda Month, which is of special significance as it is not only the month when the Central Authorities gifted the giant pandas to Hong Kong but also the month when the twin pandas were born. During the Panda Month, the Government can organize a series of colourful activities across various districts, such as setting up exhibitions and interactive zones themed on panda conservation to display the latest updates of the three pairs of giant pandas and enhance people’s understanding of and attention to the pandas in order to sustain people’s passion and maintain the popularity of the pandas.
Panda elements can effectively enrich Hong Kong’s city highlights and add variety and fun to tourists’ experience. Currently, in the Greater Bay Area, there are over 10 pandas in Guangzhou and two in Shenzhen. To residents in the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong’s giant pandas may not be the major attraction for them in Hong Kong. On the other hand, there are currently only 22 zoos in 18 countries around the world where pandas are on display, and the recent addition of two pandas to Adelaide, Australia still does not add up to a large number. Hong Kong is a city having the largest number of giant pandas outside the Mainland, and the three pairs of giant pandas of different ages are particularly attractive to overseas visitors.
With the expansion of the State’s visa-free transit policy, it is believed that many tourists will use Hong Kong as a transit point to enter the Mainland. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau has indicated that it will work with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to launch a number of TV promotions and outdoor advertisements featuring giant pandas. I hope that such efforts would be target-oriented, focusing on promotion in the airport, ports, the cruise terminal, the Airport Express Line, etc. to attract arriving tourists to visit Ocean Park.
The Government can also introduce panda elements into popular walking routes, such as setting up hot spots for social media “check-ins” decorated with graffiti, murals or sculptures based on the six giant pandas and blended with elements of local culture, or organizing such activities as photo-shooting contests or social media lucky draws, to encourage members of the public to share their photos and videos with the panda artwork on social media so as to increase the pandas’ presence on different platforms.
I hope that the Administration can take various measures concurrently to strengthen the emotional connection between the public and the pandas to allow better integration of the pandas with the tourism industry, so as to further enhance the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a tourist destination and contribute positively to Hong Kong’s socio-economic development.
Deputy President, with these remarks, I support all the contents of Mr CHAN Yung’s motion.