Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, John Lee, has announced significant cabinet changes, replacing key ministers for tourism and transport.
Rosanna Law will succeed Kevin Yeung as secretary for culture, sports and tourism, while Mable Chan will take over Lam Sai-hung as the city’s secretary for transport and logistics, Lee said at a press conference Thursday.
The dismissal of two ministers in key postings comes as Hong Kong seeks to revive tourism in the city in the wake of protests, pandemic border closures and economic struggles. Retail sales have fallen every month since February in part due to weak spending by Chinese visitors, according to a Bloomberg report.
According to official statistics, the total number of visitors to Hong Kong from January to October 2024 was approximately 36.68 million, recovering to about 73% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and 70% of 2018 levels. Visitors from mainland China accounted for nearly 80% (77.3%) of total arrivals.
In comparison, visitors to Macao this year have recovered to nearly 90% (87%) of 2019 levels for January to October.
The latest appointments are expected to inject new energy into Hong Kong's tourism and transport sectors. The impact on the city’s recovery trajectory will be closely monitored.
