Speech by SCST at award ceremony of Disney Imaginations Hong Kong Design Competition 2024 (English only)
31.1.2024

âFollowing is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, at the award ceremony of Disney Imaginations Hong Kong Design Competition 2024 today (January 31): Michael (Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Mr Michael Moriarty), Jo (Creative Development Director of Walt Disney Imagineering Hong Kong, Ms Jo Phoa), finalist teams, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. I am glad to be here again to join the award ceremony for Disney Imaginations Hong Kong Design Competition. This is my second time and it's one of the Disneyland events that I will not miss. Let me first express my heartfelt congratulations to all the finalist teams. I am sure all of you have gone through an unforgettable and rewarding journey. Your excellent work and superb efforts dedicated would be much appreciated and recognised. While the competition has come to the final stage today, it just marks the beginning of your bigger and better dreams in your life. I am delighted that this competition has been extended to the Greater Bay Area this year, attracting almost 100 teams of young talent from institutions in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macao. This is also the first time the competition is open to students from all disciplines, elevating it to be an amazing platform for youngsters with different backgrounds to showcase their boundless creativity and exchange views. The themes of this year's competition are "sustainability" and "inclusion", with a focus on conservation. Contestants are encouraged to create an educational experience that helps preserve cultural heritage at risk of being forgotten. The themes come very timely indeed when more in-depth experiences and cultural tourism are becoming more popular. The Government has been paying much attention to protecting and conserving Hong Kong's rich cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment by the community as well as our tourists. One of our recent efforts is the launching of the Characteristic Local Tourism Incentive Scheme on January 1 this year to foster the development of thematic tours. Meanwhile, we have launched the Deeper into Hong Kong: Creative Itinerary Design Competition through the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong. It further encourages the travel trade to design unique and creative in-depth travel itineraries. The competition received around 700 creative entries, and we are confident that the winning pieces will bring visitors with fresh experiences of Hong Kong. Just like preserving our culture, nurturing young talent also requires joint efforts. Therefore before I close, I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Disney Imagineers and Hong Kong Disneyland for the continuous commitment of hosting this inspirational competition. While the world's first and largest "World of Frozen" opened last November has been, again, another amazing project by our Disney Imagineers to bring creativity to reality, I look forward to many more enrichments of our tourism offerings, as well as opportunities for our "home-grown" young "Imagineers-to-be", with Disney's unlimited imagination. Thank you very much.