Several Sham Shui Po district councilors held a press conference yesterday, advocating for the establishment of 6 distinctive tourist routes within the Sham Shui Po district. These routes would include in-depth exploration of street food stalls, fabric shops, intangible cultural heritage, architecture, and local delicacies. Kowloon West District Councilor, Cheng Wing Shun, further suggested that the Tourism Board could invite Key Opinion Leaders (KOL) to Sham Shui Po to try tofu pudding and introduce famous movie filming locations, promoting independent travel for mainland Chinese tourists and encouraging them to discover Hong Kong’s unique places.
Cheng Wing Shun stated that there has been an increase in tourists visiting Sham Shui Po for in-depth exploration post-pandemic. With more tourists seeking immersive experiences like cultural tourism, there is a necessity to cater to the evolving demands of travel. He highlighted the abundance of unique shops in Sham Shui Po and proposed the rediscovery of Hong Kong’s distinctive street food stall culture, creating safe, comfortable, fun, and region-specific tourism routes and products to boost visitor numbers, thus stimulating the local economy and consumption.
The proposed 6 in-depth tourist routes include “Duck Pond Treasure Hunt”, “Fabric Trail Exploration”, “Light and Shadow Visuals”, “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Traditional Culture”, “Journey through Historic Sites”, and “Savoring Sham Shui Po”. These routes encompass street food stalls, fabric shops, intangible cultural heritage, architecture, cuisine, and movie filming locations. Cheng Wing Shun recommended that the Tourism Board invite KOLs to film promotional videos to enhance overseas and mainland China publicity.
Moreover, many movies have been filmed in Sham Shui Po, and the concentration of fabric shops in the area has become a preferred location for filmmakers to source materials and craft costumes. The routes are suggested to start from scenes in Yat Lau Street from “Infernal Affairs”, passing through Tai Nan Street featuring filming locations from “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, “Ghost in the Shell”, and “The Thieves”, to filming locations of pop star Anita Mui in Shek Kip Mei Street.
Lau Pui Yuk, a Sham Shui Po district councilor from the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), mentioned that there are approximately 10 street food stall streets in the area. She proposed revamping streets like Yat Lau Street and Ki Lung Street, describing the street food stall areas in the district as having a unique historical and cultural status, believing that they could be developed into a cultural tourism district. She suggested that the government consider amending regulations for hawkers’ licenses, requiring each stall to add simple fire safety equipment, and conducting fire drills in collaboration with the Fire Services Department to enhance hawkers’ fire safety awareness. Additionally, continued improvements in the hygiene of street food stalls and the surrounding environment, such as the addition of public toilets, would enhance the overall experience for visitors.