Cultural Districts and Tourism in Hong Kong: A Case Study of West Kowloon Cultural District

The tourism sector in Hong Kong has faced its worst hit in the last few years due to the Anti-extradition Bill Protests of 2019 and 2020, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020. These adversities have greatly impacted visitor numbers, down from 65.1 million in 2018 to a mere 0.6 million in 2022. In late December 2022, Hong Kong lifted all COVID-19 measures and subsequently reopened its borders with Mainland China in early 2023, shedding light into a new era for tourism in the city. These events provide a great opportunity for the West Kowloon Cultural District (WKCD), which is an ambitious cultural project by the Hong Kong government, to further its reach. This chapter, therefore, seeks to explore the existing strategies that drive WKCD as a cultural destination, and in so doing, debates the untapped potential of the district and the roles of stakeholders in boosting cultural tourism in Hong Kong.