LCQ14: Enticing international online celebrity to visit Hong Kong
*****************************************************************
Question:
It has been reported that earlier on, an internationally renowned online celebrity live-streamed his activities on YouTube, a video-sharing website, during his visit to Hong Kong, attracting a large number of local and overseas fans to follow him physically, and the number of viewers of the relevant live streams has exceeded 10 million, thus bringing to Hong Kong international exposure that can hardly be ignored. There are views that online celebrities' "decentralised and spontaneous high-profile events" of this kind enable viewers around the world to see the daily street situations in Hong Kong in real time, which is in line with the concept of "Tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong". In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as it has been reported that massive crowds of people were drawn by the aforesaid online celebrity when he was doing the live streams, whether the authorities will formulate plans to assist in maintaining public order during similar events in the future; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(2) as there are views that the experience of the aforesaid online celebrity's visit to Hong Kong attests to the high interactivity and cost-effectiveness of high-traffic online celebrities, whether the authorities will study stepping up efforts to entice them to visit Hong Kong and integrating such events into tourism promotional campaigns; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) as it has been reported that the aforesaid online celebrity had earlier on experienced a high-tech tour in Shenzhen, including riding in an amphibious vehicle, watching a robot dance and experiencing a food delivery service by drone, and such activities have demonstrated our country's high level of technology to the international community, whether the authorities will draw up a list of high-tech projects for visits in Hong Kong to facilitate visits by international high-traffic online celebrities and overseas travellers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
In respect of the question raised by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam, having consulted the Security Bureau and the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), the reply is as follows:
(1) The Police have always attached great importance to and endeavoured to maintain public safety and order. Regarding the live webcasting activities conducted by a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) in public places earlier, the Police had been keeping a close watch on the activities and making continuous assessment of the situation. The Police had also taken the initiative to liaise with the team of the KOL, so as to make timely manpower deployment when necessary, with a view to maintaining public safety and order. In case of similar activities in the future, the Police will, as in the past, closely monitor the situation and make timely assessment, and flexibly deploy police manpower to deal with any possible emergencies.
(2) "Seeing is Believing" forms the cornerstone of our strategic approach to showcase Hong Kong's authentic appeal and diverse tourism offerings. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) consistently invites KOLs, influencers, media, and industry partners from around the world to experience the city's diverse charm firsthand, so as to promote Hong Kong tourism.
The HKTB has tailor-made a variety of thematic itineraries for these guests, covering Chinese and Western arts, pop culture, water and harbour experiences, traditional festivities, gastronomy and outdoor exploration. This aims to create positive word-of-mouth through their personal experiences by leveraging their vast influence, with a view to attracting more visitors to come to Hong Kong.
In 2024, the HKTB proactively invited more than 2 600 KOLs, influencers, media and trade partners from different source markets (including the Mainland, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and long-haul markets) to visit Hong Kong. Counting only KOLs, the HKTB proactively invited over 620 KOLs from local, the Mainland, and overseas markets in 2024 to experience Hong Kong and tell the world the good stories of Hong Kong through their first-hand travel experiences. Collectively, these KOLs have a fan base of approximately 380 million.
The top 10 KOLs invited by the HKTB in 2024 are as follows:
| KOL | Source Market | Number of Fans |
| Niana Guerrero | The Philippines | 99 792 651 |
| Ranz Kyle | The Philippines | 39 187 062 |
| Heart Evangelista | The Philippines | 35 420 360 |
| Meissie Disini | Indonesia | 15 964 542 |
| Chen Yi-han, Estelle | The Mainland | 10 099 000 |
| Georgina Wilson | The Philippines | 7 790 398 |
| Freen | Thailand | 7 233 134 |
| Kwon Yu-ri | South Korea | 6 851 341 |
| Tha Naerng | Thailand | 5 288 896 |
| Vincent Yeow Lim | Australia | 5 147 852 |
This year, the HKTB continues to take proactive measures. In the first quarter, the HKTB invited over 650 KOLs, influencers, media, and industry partners to come to Hong Kong to create positive exposure. Particularly during the "Hong Kong Super March", the HKTB collaborated with nearly 100 KOLs and celebrities from various countries and regions (including the Mainland, Taiwan, the UK, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia), who shared their first-hand experiences on social media, reaching over 50 million followers. Notable participants included South Korean actor Wi Ha-joon, who starred in Netflix's hit series Squid Game 2, world number one snooker player Judd Trump, Mainland Chinese singer Zhang Yuan, rising Thai stars Boss and Noeul, former British rugby player Ryan Wilson and Indonesian artist Eva Alicia.
Looking ahead, the HKTB will adhere to the strategy of "Seeing is Believing" and invite more globally renowned KOLs, media, and industry representatives to visit Hong Kong, spreading its unique charm worldwide and attracting more visitors to make advance plans to travel to Hong Kong.
The HKTB stands ready to provide appropriate support to KOLs who are interested in visiting and promoting Hong Kong tourism, subject to evaluation of various factors including the size of their fanbase, their social media posts engagement rates, their professional status and image, whether they tie in with the target source markets and marketing strategies, with the aim of leveraging their first-hand experiences to showcase Hong Kong's unique charm.
(3) According to the ITIB, the Government is dedicated to promoting Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) development by leveraging Hong Kong's advantages as an international city to foster global I&T collaboration. The two I&T flagships (Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Cyberport) support tech enterprises to expand their network of collaborative partners in the Mainland and overseas markets as well as liaise with their I&T park enterprises and the I&T sector, actively participate in international or regional conferences and exhibitions, with a view to promoting commercialisation of research and development outcomes as well as the products to both the Mainland and overseas markets.
Regarding the HKTB's initiative of inviting KOLs, influencers, media, and industry partners to come to Hong Kong and tailor-making a variety of thematic itineraries, the HKTB stands ready to incorporate different elements (including those related to technology) into the itineraries to showcase Hong Kong's characteristics, thereby promoting Hong Kong's appeal and attracting more visitors to come to Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:55
Issued at HKT 11:55
NNNN