The source text is in Chinese. This English version is for reference only. In case of any discrepancy between this English version and the Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail. 

According to the latest Budget, the Government has invited the MTR Corporation to conduct a study to redevelop the waterfront of the south of Hung Hom Station into a commercial-residential project, including a yacht club to promote yacht tourism. The author believes this recommendation can optimise the use of valuable land resources along Victoria Harbour, facilitate the popularisation of yacht tourism, and help attract high-end visitor markets from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and even Southeast Asia.

Further Unleashing Valuable Land Resources Along Victoria Harbour

The Government has proposed site for a yacht club on the waterfront at East Tsim Sha Tsui, a core commercial district in Kowloon with abundant tourist facilities in the vicinity. In fact, this land was previously used as a cargo loading and unloading terminal and a storage yard that separated the eastern and western waterfronts of Kowloon and should have been rezoned long ago. The Government's current proposal to rezone the site for commercial-residential and yacht club uses is expected to become a new tourism landmark along Victoria Harbour. Combined with the merging of the two sides of the East Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, land development will be more efficient., Since the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance has been relaxed by the Government to allow harbourfront enhancement works and the Budget has proposed to permit light refreshment kiosks along the harbourfront, these believably will invigorate tourism along the Tsim Sha Tsui East waterfront.

The waterfronts on both sides of Victoria Harbour should naturally be Hong Kong’s prime locations. However, many of them are used for cargo handling, which appears to be incompatible with nearby commercial and tourism land uses and consequently undermining the land value. For example, the Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter, despite being adjacent to the West Kowloon Cultural District and Kowloon Station commercial area, and with a coastline of approximately 2 kilometres, remains inaccessible to the general public and tourists. Similarly, the Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter, located near the cruise terminal and the Kowloon East business district, fails to generate tourism-related economic synergies. The Government should consider converting these areas for waterfront tourism purposes, with public and tourist access, to stimulating tourism economy.

Would changing waterfront uses impact the existing mid-stream operation? In the past, as the local maritime industry thrived, there was insufficient container terminal capacity, which gave rise to the mid-stream cargo handling operation and its establishment of cargo handling area at Victoria Harbour. However, container throughput in Hong Kong has declined in recent years, and container terminals now have surplus handling capacity. The Government could assist mid-stream operators in leasing container terminals to capitalize on logistics industry resources. The vacant cargo handling land could then be used for tourism development to increase the land value and generate additional revenue for the Government.

Adding More Berths to Expedite Yacht Tourism Popularisation

Although yachting is often perceived as a luxury there is flexibility in budgetary allocation. Similar to private car ownership, the major expenses incurred are yacht purchase, berth, and maintenance. For beginners, purchasing a second-hand yacht is an option. While purchasing a yacht is relatively straightforward, its maintenance can be challenging, particularly in relation to securing a berth. At present, the 9 yacht clubs across Hong Kong collectively manage around 2,300 berths. Together with some 2,000 private mooring spaces scattered across 43 different water areas, Hong Kong offers approximately 4,300 berths, which is far short of the roughly 12,500 yachts registered in Hong Kong. Yachts without berths can only anchor in remote and lacking in-shore ancillary facilities typhoon shelters or anchorages, which are inconvenient for owners to sail their yacht, hindering the popularisation of yacht tourism.

Yacht tourism is common Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia cities. With Hong Kong’s scenic coastline, exploiting the waterfront resources by adding more yacht berths could significantly promote the popularisation of yacht tourism, thus enabling the public to enjoy self-drive yacht trips. Furthermore, the popularisation of yacht tourism could stimulate related economic chains, including the yacht trading market, maintenance and management, insurance, and tourism-related economic activities.

Attracting Yacht Self-drive Tourism from the GBA and Southeast Asia

Recently, the GBA has promoted “individual travel scheme for yachts” to facilitate yacht tourists in travelling among coastal cities within the region. According to the recent announcement by the Government to establish a yacht club in Hung Hom, its convenient location will allow the visitors to access commercial districts immediately after disembarkation for shopping and spending. This initiative is expected to attract high-end tourists from the GBA and even Southeast Asia and is likely a highly effective tourism investment strategy.

In short, in addition to the announced locations for building yacht berths, namely Hung Hom South, the Airport City, Aberdeen, and Lamma Island, the Government should further explore increasing yacht berth facilities at suitable locations along Victoria Harbour so as to enhance the attractiveness of Victoria Harbour's waterfront and expedite the popularisation and upscaling of yacht-related tourism economy.