LCQ11: Developing tourism projects with distinctive intellectual properties
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Question:
There are views that Hong Kong has a number of intellectual property (IP) projects with local characteristics, among which the film "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" has been well received both locally and overseas. In Japan, a restaurant has even launched peripheral food products inspired by the film, which sell out every day. Moreover, many film fans have visited Hong Kong for sightseeing due to the film, demonstrating the unlimited business opportunities of IP tourism. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it has compiled statistics on the number of visitors attracted to Hong Kong by IP projects, cultural events and mega-events with local characteristics in the past three years, as well as their places of origin, length of stay in Hong Kong, and consumption amounts and patterns; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will consider compiling such statistics;
(2) as some members of the industry and academics have pointed out that tourism projects dominated by a single IP are difficult to sustain, and that the long-term strategy should be linking up multiple IPs of the same type to create synergy effects (e.g. Hong Kong can explore combining the IP of "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" and those of a number of classic Hong Kong films to build a "Hong Kong version of Universal Studios", with a view to maximising the cultural benefits of Hong Kong films), whether the Government has considered formulating a strategy to promote collaboration between different IP holders and the tourism industry; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) whether the Government has formulated a dedicated strategy for IP tourism, such as strengthening the protection and promotion of existing distinctive IP projects and related attractions, and actively introducing measures to encourage and support IP creation and the development of related attractions; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will consider formulating relevant strategies?
Reply:
President,
The current Government has established the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) to promote the integrated development of culture, sports and tourism. The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) under the CSTB proactively strengthens its support towards the industrialisation development of the cultural and creative industries and provides a platform to foster cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaborations among cultural and creative sectors for cultural intellectual property (IP). We fully encourage industries such as catering, retailing and tourism to make use of the rich IP resources in Hong Kong to achieve synergy, attract tourists and explore business opportunities.
My reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Jeffrey Lam's question, in consultation with the Intellectual Property Department (IPD), is as follows:
There are a number of attractions in Hong Kong with local characteristics and tourism appeal, such as Victoria Harbour, the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL), the Ocean Park (OP), the Peak Tram, the Hong Kong Ferris Wheel, Ngong Ping 360. They are also IPs with strong Hong Kong's cultural characteristics. The CSTB and the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) have been striving to promote tourism by making good use of these cultural IPs and the international image of Hong Kong.
In 2024, Hong Kong hosted over 240 mega events, attracting about two million visitors from mainly the Mainland and Southeast Asia region, and bringing a total spending of about HK$7.5 billion and added value of about HK$4.5 billion to the economy. Many of these mega events featured local characteristics and made good use of well-known IPs, such as the "100% DORAEMON & FRIENDS" Tour, Pokémon GO City Safari, PANDA GO! FEST HK, ComplexCon Hong Kong, Hypefest Hong Kong, Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong (ACGHK), and "A Path to Glory - Jin Yong's Centennial Memorial • The World of Wuxia", etc. In 2025, we continue to welcome events filled with IP elements, such as "CHIIKAWA DAYS" Exhibition, the opening of CR7® LIFE Museum Hong Kong, ACGHK 2025, "Comic Fun for All: The Magic of Hong Kong Comedy Comics" showcasing various local comics and Hong Kong Fashion Fest.
We have been making use of attractive IP-themed events to enrich visitors' travel and entertainment experience and stimulate spending. The HKTB proactively collaborates with event organisers to provide all round support, including driving local tourism through events. For example, during "100% DORAEMON & FRIENDS" Tour, the HKTB partnered with the exhibition organiser to present "Anywhere Door" at ten tourist spots in Hong Kong, attracting visitors and locals to explore the city and take photos. The HKTB also collaborates with IPs in flagship events and integrates with signature IPs to further promote tourism. For example, in organising the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races in 2023 and 2024, the HKTB collaborated with the world's popular IP, LINE FRIENDS, to set up LINE FRIENDS dragon boat photo spots along the Avenue of Stars to attract visitors and locals to take photos and enjoy the races. Both visitors and locals could also purchase Hong Kong-exclusive merchandise designed for the races during the event period.
In terms of tourism promotion through leveraging movie IPs, the HKTB collaborated with the movie producer and relevant units to launch a movie exhibition titled "Live out the Cinematic Charm of Hong Kong" Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. The exhibition was first staged at the Hong Kong International Airport and then AIRSIDE at Kai Tak, Kowloon City. In parallel, merchandise vendors on site offered classic dishes, nostalgic toys and movie merchandise to create business opportunities. The CCIDA also organises the three-year "Kowloon Walled City: A Cinematic Journey" Movie Set Exhibition at the Kowloon Walled City Park, showcasing more movie sets and local traditional craftsmanship displays, recreating scenes of the Walled City. Over 42 000 locals and tourists were attracted in the first month since its opening in May this year, driving catering and retailing spending in the vicinity.
In terms of theme parks, the HKDL, a landmark attraction with rich IP features, has been introducing various unique facilities and events to attract visitors, including the opening of the world's first ever and largest Frozen-themed land, the new Marvel-themed area under planning, the 20th anniversary celebration and an all-new Pixar entertainment experience. On the other hand, the OP, capitalising on its advantage of being home to the largest number of giant pandas outside the Mainland, has created the giant pandas' IPs according to the physical traits of the six giant pandas and launched giant panda-related promotional activities, merchandise, cultural and creative products, video games, tourism products, etc, with Hong Kong's characteristics. In addition to the extensive use of the giant pandas' IPs in OP's social media content and merchandise, the OP will continue to make use of the relevant IP to launch giant panda-themed festive events, immersive experience activities, light shows, thematic performances, amusement facilities, etc, and partner with different organisations to promote the IPs.
Separately, the CCIDA, through the CreateSmart Initiative (CSI), has funded and promoted various IP projects that integrate local animation and comic culture with tourism. These include the two-year AniCom Sports Park which showcases 36 locally created AniCom characters from different eras, each paired with a sports-themed design, such as "Old Master Q" with snooker, "Dragon Shik" with boxing and "My Boy" with table tennis, echoing the Olympic Games Paris and the National Games to promote the innovative experience of integrating culture, sports and tourism in Hong Kong. Since its launch in July 2024, the project has attracted about 460 000 locals tourists. The Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars, with the theme of local original comics, has drawn over three million visitors to date. The project was enhanced and updated in late 2024, now featuring 76 coloured figurines of local comic characters created by 100 artists, such as "Wang Xiao Hu", "Hero Wah" and "MinBao Gor", along with a 50-meter-long large-scale comic wall and interactive installations. In half a year, it attracted over 850 000 visitors with approximately 40 per cent of them being tourists. The annual mega event, the ACGHK, brings together comics and animation, mobile/computer games and art toy creations from Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas, attracting about 250 000 tourists from the Mainland and overseas annually. The ACGHK 2025 will feature four projects, namely the Hong Kong International Art Toys Expo, the International Comic Artist Conference and Exhibition, the Comics Masters Gathering Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Comics Support Programme Pavilion. Apart from showcasing over 100 art toys and comic works from Hong Kong, the Mainland and overseas, there will also be sharing sessions and workshops led by comic masters. The CCIDA will strengthen publicity in order to attract visitors from the Mainland and overseas.
On upholding and strengthening IP protection, the Government continues to drive the development of local IP (including cultural IP), enhance the local IP regime, ensuring that it keeps abreast of the times, aligns with international trends, and meets Hong Kong's economic needs, including the implementation of the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 to strengthen copyright protection in the digital environment, and a comprehensive review of the local registered designs regime and plans to launch a public consultation within this year. A robust IP protection regime can foster the sustainable development of local cultural and creative industries, as well as help drive the growth of related industry chains, including tourism, thereby spurring the development of the economy. The CCIDA is also actively supporting cultural IP projects, including those related to tourism, through CSI, and driving applicants to make applications for IP protection for their cultural and creative products, formulate IP agreements and manage IP portfolios, etc, so as to assist creators in exploring business opportunities.
The IPD advocates for the messages of respecting creativity and IP protection through producing and disseminating promotional materials and videos. At the same time, it is committed to implementing the "No Fakes Pledge" Scheme and the "I Pledge" Campaign to encourage the selling and buying of genuine goods among local retailers, tourists and consumers. The "No Fakes Pledge" Scheme has garnered widespread support from local businesses over the years, with an average annual participation of over 1 500 retail merchants and 7 000 outlets/online shops.
The Government will continue to support IP creation, construction and cross-over through innovative thinking, combining with our edges in technology, animation and comics, the performing arts, film and television culture to attract more tourists to come to Hong Kong to experience the unique local cultural connotation. We also hope that the catering, retailing and tourism industries can make good use of IP projects to explore business opportunities and implement the concept of "tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong" together.
Ends/Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Issued at HKT 14:22
Issued at HKT 14:22
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