Visitors buy souvenirs at a street market. [Photo by Li Peng/Xinhua]

Untapped culture

According to Song, the city has great potential in both cultural and green tourism, which are largely untapped.

With regard to cultural tourism, Song suggested the administration step up efforts to attract more art lovers to the city's world-class art performances by offering greater convenience.

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said more than 8,000 performing art shows are staged every year, attracting audiences of more than 3 million annually. The number suggests that the average Hong Kong resident watches 0.4 shows per year, but the figure has remained almost unchanged since 2010, indicating room for improvement.

Hong Kong's educational features have also barely been harnessed as tourist attractions. Last year was the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-sen, a revered revolutionary leader who played a pivotal role in overthrowing imperial rule in China. However, the date went almost unmarked because the city government has failed to explore opportunities to work with educational institutions and create historical tours.

Green tourism is another untapped area. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said Hong Kong hosts around 90,000 migratory birds - from about 380 species - every winter. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Wetland Park gives the city an advantage when attracting ornithologists and curious children from the mainland and beyond to enjoy these natural wonders.

However, the Wetland Park has no plans to develop those activities into tourism products, according to the department, which organizes the Bird Watching Festival. And so far, no feasibility report has been drawn up about developing the Hong Kong Wetland Park as a tourist attraction, according to the city government's public documents.