Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung will travel to Sichuan on Sunday to discuss with local authorities the arrival arrangements of the pair of giant pandas gifted by the Central Government.
The duo will also be accompanied by Lee’s wife Janet Lee Lam Lai-sim, Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Mickey Lai Kin-ming as well as representatives from Ocean Park.
“Lee and the officials will visit the Dujiangyan Base of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda. During his visit to Sichuan, Lee will meet with leaders of the Sichuan Province and visit local facilities,” according to a government statement released on Friday.
Speaking on a radio program on Saturday morning, Yeung hopes the pair of giant pandas can arrive in Hong Kong in two to three months but noted that there remain a lot of details to follow up.
The quarantine process alone will take about a month and authorities also have to confirm the physical and mental status of the giant pandas before their south-bound trip, Yeung added.
Yeung also said the agenda for this Sichuan trip includes expressing to Beijing the wish of having new giant pandas born in Hong Kong, inviting mainland experts to share feeding experience, and preparing relevant arrival arrangements.
The tourism chief hopes to organize activities for the public to participate in naming the giant pandas if possible and believes that the pair can boost tourism and further attract tourists.
Yeung also pointed out that the number of tourists exceeded 21 million in the first half of 2024, believing that the year round number can reach some 46 million as estimated earlier this year.
When asked about the rather low level of tourist spending at HK$5,600 per head, Yeung said the global tourism figures have yet to return to pre-Covid levels and spending is affected by online shopping, with mainland tourists no longer buying daily goods in Hong Kong.
He called on the retail and tourism sectors to work on “Hong Kong-only” products and travel experiences in order to seize the advantage brought by the increasing number of tourists.
The Chief Executive will return to Hong Kong next Tuesday (Jul 9).