Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) is one of the fifteen policy bureaux of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The bureau is responsible for the policy portfolios of culture, sports and tourism. The current Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism is Rosanna Law.
Functions and responsibilities
The bureau The overall vision of the bureau is to promote the integrated development of Hong Kong’s culture, sports and tourism, which are complements of each other. The elements should be holistically considered as a flourishing cultural and sports industry could attract tourists to visit Hong Kong, and the revenue generated by the tourism sector could be reinvested to promote the development of arts and cultural industries.Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (2022, January 12). “Re-organisation of the Government Structure”. Available at https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202201/12/P2022011200312_385382_1_1641984104451.pdf . Retrieved 15 December 2023.
In accordance with the 14th Five-Year Plan, the bureau aimed to develop Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange. The bureau implements the goal by attracting overseas and mainland Chinese artists, sportsmen and tourists to visit Hong Kong. Simultaneously, it encourages Hong Kong-based counterparts to visit mainland China and other overseas destinations for them to promote Chinese culture and tell good stories about Hong Kong and China.
The bureau aimed to promote better integration between Hong Kong and other parts of China. The Culture and Tourism Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was promulgated to enable cultural exchanges among artists and creators across border.
The three divisions The core functions of the Bureau in culture and arts are:
Providing funding for institutions that promote Hong Kong’s arts and culture (e.g., the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, public museums, and public libraries); Overseeing and managing funds available for those who are interested in promoting arts technology to apply (e.g., the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme under the Arts and Sports Development Fund (Arts Portion), the Film Development Fund, and the CreateSmart Initiative); Implementing measures to establish a wide cultural network in the Greater Pearl River Delta and with other countries (e.g., holding forums and meetings under the Mainland / Hong Kong Agreement on Closer Cultural Partnership Arrangement and the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee); and Supporting the preservation of intangible cultural heritage (e.g., Cantonese opera and the Tai Hang fire dragon dance).
The core functions of the Bureau in sports and recreation are:
Promoting sports in the community (e.g., implementing the District Sports Programmes Funding Scheme and promoting sports in schools); Supporting elite sports (e.g., providing dual career and personal development support to elite athletes); and Promoting major international sports events.
The core functions of the Bureau in tourism are:
Promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s premier international city and a world-class destination for leisure and business visitors; Regulating the tourism industry through the Travel Industry Authority to enhance the professionalism of trade; and Protecting the rights of travellers and enhancing Hong Kong’s reputation as a tourist-friendly city.
History and reasons for government restructuring The bureau was newly established under the re-organization of policy bureaux proposed by Carrie Lam, the fifth Chief Executive of Hong Kong, and was adopted by John Lee, the succeeding Chief Executive after Carrie Lam. The bureau was tasked with the responsibilities for the culture, sports and tourism portfolios. Previously these were managed by other bureaus: cultural, arts and sports affairs from the Home Affairs Bureau, and film, creative industries and tourism from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau.
The history of bureau for culture includes the now-abolished Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau (), which was responsible for managing Hong Kong's broadcasting services, developing the film and public entertainment industries, promoting Hong Kong's Arts and Culture, and providing support to sports and physical recreation facilities. It was headed by Secretary for Broadcasting, Culture and Sport. It was renamed from the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Branch on 1 July 1997 due to the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong, and lasted until 9 April 1998, when it was restructured as the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau. From 1998 to 2022, the leisure and cultural portfolios were taken care of by the Home Affairs Bureau.
The 2022 restructuring consolidates the work of the former Home Affairs Bureau and the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, which the government sees as creating synergies to foster the development of various types of arts, cultures and creative industries.
Setting up a new bureau dedicated to culture, sports and tourism also enhances intra-governmental coordination in formulating and implementing policies relating to Hong Kong’s cultural, sports and tourism industries.
After the latest reform, government departments, advisory boards and statutory bodies (for example, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, formerly led by the Home Affairs Bureau, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and the Hong Kong Film Development Council) are led by the bureau. This new arrangement was considered desirable as it strengthened the promotion of cultural industries in Hong Kong.
The need for a top-level leadership which oversees the promotion of Hong Kong’s cultural development also emerges from the 14th Five-Year Plan, which supports the positioning of Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
In August 2022, the bureau set a limit on the number of people who able to participate in mass sporting events, causing some events to be cancelled or restricted.
Organizational structure
Organization Chart
Subordinate branches The following are the branches of the bureau: Culture Branch West Kowloon Cultural District Project Management Team Tourism Commission
Sports and Recreational Branch
Subordinate departments Leisure and Cultural Services Department
Related Organizations
Hong Kong Maritime Museum Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Hong Kong Repertory Theatre Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Hong Kong Dance Company Chung Ying Theatre Company City Contemporary Dance Company Hong Kong Ballet Exploration Theatre Hong Kong Sinfonietta Hong Kong Festival Fringe Limited Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Outward Bound Hong Kong Hong Kong Sports Institute Limited Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee Hong Kong Arts Development Council Fringe Club Zuni Icosahedron West Kowloon Cultural District Authority Hong Kong Design Centre
Controversies
National Anthem Controversy
Background Since 2022, several incidents took place concerning the mix-up of the Chinese national anthem a song linked to the 2019 anti-government protests. The latter was occasionally played as the “Hong Kong national anthem” or the song representing Hong Kong in sports ceremonies. During the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship Division III Group B match in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Glory to Hong Kong” was played instead of the Chinese national anthem, "March of the Volunteers", after Hong Kong's victory over Iran. Several Hong Kong players made the “time out” gesture to stop the song from playing.National anthem blunder: Hong Kong’s sports minister vows to continue funding for ice hockey athletes even if budgets slashed | South China Morning Post (scmp.com)
Condemnation from CSTB and disciplinary actions by SF&OC Following the incident, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government released a statement, strongly deploring the mistake made and formally requesting the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China (SF&OC) to conduct a thorough investigation.HKSAR Government strongly deplores mistake made when national anthem is played at Ice Hockey World Championship (info.gov.hk) This investigation is intended to scrutinize whether the relevant national sports association, as per the guidelines, undertook on-site verification with the event organizer to ensure the accuracy of the National Anthem.
In response to the unfolding events, the SF&OC launched the proceedings to suspend the membership of the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association (HKIHA) within the organization and emphasizes the need for accountability within the sporting community,HK Olympic Committee launches procedures to suspend Ice Hockey Asso's membership amid national anthem mishap - The Standard which is supported by the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau (CSTB). CSTB, in alignment with the HKSAR Government, concurrently calls upon the HKIHA to provide a comprehensive written explanation regarding the incident concerning the erroneous playing of the National Anthem of the People's Republic of China.
Secretary Kevin Yeung emphasised that the HKIHA needed to submit a report within a month detailing plans to improve its governance. Failure to do so, he indicated, might result in funding cuts. Additionally, the HKIHA is urged to submit a robust plan outlining improvements to its corporate governance.
Concerns about HKIHA's subsidies after suspension Concerns arose as to the funding and subsidies HKIHA may receive after the suspension of the association’s membership. Yeung assured athletes that their funding and participation in international competitions would not be affected by the government’s decision to cut HKIHA's budget as a penalty for the anthem mix-up, expressing support for the development of sports in Hong Kong.
HKIHA acknowledged the need for governance improvements and indicated a willingness to work towards preventing similar incidents. However, they expressed worries about any funding cuts and their potential negative impacts on athletes' training and development. They highlighted the cancellation of their elite athlete scheme and the potential need to raise funds independently to ensure athletes could still participate in competitions. Bob Ngan, one of the players in the match, believed the move to punish the association for a mistake by the organiser of the match was “unreasonable”, and the national anthem row had shifted attention away from the good result of the Hong Kong team. The potential cut in subsidies could hamper the development of ice hockey, said Ngan.
Eventually, in May 2023, Kevin Yeung said CSTB "will ask the SF&OC to impose an appropriate penalty” to HKIHA to put an end to the national anthem mix-up incident. HKIHA was later reprimanded by SF&OC over the incident, but the latter decided that there would be no cuts to its funding or suspension of its membership. Yeung supported the SF&OC’s decision and stated that it was “completely reasonable and justifiable” for the SF&OC to ask the HKIHA to work on its corporate governance.
Updated Guidelines for all Sports Associations According to the amended guidelines, sports teams are mandated to boycott awards ceremonies if the team leader is not permitted to verify the national anthem or regional flags on-site. The SF&OC has outlined a procedure involving the collection of an anthem toolkit, including flags and anthem copies, before each event. If event organizers decline to sign an acknowledgement form or permit checks, athletes are instructed to boycott the ceremony.