Yuen Tak-kin, third from left, said promoting food heritage can appeal to tourists.
Kelly Kong
Youth groups have proposed that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government set up a specialised team to promote Hong Kong as a food tourism destination and maintain its reputation as a culinary capital.
This was announced after Youth Ideas, a think tank under the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Organizations, conducted a survey of 520 people aged between 18 and 34 from April 11 to 22. It also interviewed 13 young people aged between 24 and 39 working in the food and beverage industry, as well as six experts and academics.
The poll found that 85.8 percent of respondents still believe Hong Kong is a food capital and has the potential to develop food tourism.
More than 90% believe that our food culture should develop in the direction of “practicing environmentally sustainable development” and “promoting healthy eating.”
More than two-thirds of respondents said that while Hong Kong has the advantage of a diverse food culture, it also faces challenges such as high rent, high food costs and competition from surrounding areas.
The top three signature dishes of Hong Kong were named egg tarts, pineapple buns, and egg waffles.
The think tank, which has studied food promotion policies in other countries, suggested setting up a specialized team following the example of South Korea’s Korea Food Promotion Agency, a non-profit organization established in 2010 to boost the domestic and international competitiveness of Korean food companies.
He also suggested that Hong Kong take inspiration from Vietnam to create a local food tourism map and promote diet-friendly labels such as low-carb, vegetarian, halal and special dietary needs.
“For example, the tourism board could launch a Hong Kong food heritage campaign, in line with the government’s recent promotion of the slogan ‘In Hong Kong, tourism is everywhere’,” said Yong Tak-kin, deputy chair of the think tank’s Employment and Economy Group.
