Govt seeks private funding for cultural industries
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said discussions are underway with the Development Bureau to provide incentives to attract private funding for the development of the cultural and creative industries. Chief Executive John Lee pledged in his Policy Address a total of HK$4.3 billion for the Film Development Fund and the CreateSmart Initiative to provide incentives to attract private sector capital and expand new markets. Yeung acknowledged the problem of the limited number of government-run performance venues and the need to allocate them fairly among various arts groups. He said the problem may not be solved in the short term as demand is expected to increase and the cultural industry continues to grow. Apart from West Kowloon, and with the East Kowloon Cultural Centre almost complete, Yeung said the government would make a further push in the New Territories. Another direction, Yeung said, was for local arts groups to explore opportunities outside Hong Kong, such as entering the mainland market to attract a wider audience. Looking back at his work over the past year on RTHK's Overview Policy programme, Yeung said the convergence of the cultural, sports and tourism sectors under his bureau had helped to make government policy more cohesive.  He said when his office now organises cultural and sports events, it will also consider how to integrate tourism into these events to promote and attract more visitors to Hong Kong.