WKCDA welcomes Five-Year Plan, Policy Address support for WestK

The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) welcomed measures supporting the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) under Hong Kong’s first Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development (2026-2030) and the 2026 Policy Address on Wednesday (Sep 16).

WKCDA Chairman Bernard Charnwut Chan said the five-year plan supports Hong Kong’s development as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange and the integrated development of the culture, sports and tourism sectors.

He said the Policy Address reaffirmed WestK as a strategic cultural infrastructure project and supported its role in promoting international cultural exchange and the cultural industry.

WestK Performing Arts Centre is expected to open in 2027, bringing the number of performing arts venues in the district to 10 and strengthening its role as an international performing arts hub, WKCDA said.

The authority said it would continue working with international arts and cultural institutions and promote Hong Kong’s arts and culture and creative industries.

The Hong Kong Palace Museum will deepen its collaboration with the Palace Museum and take its collections on overseas tours, including to Australia and Uzbekistan, it said.

WKCDA also plans to attract organizations from the arts trading sector to establish operations in WestK and develop Hong Kong as a cultural tourism destination.

It welcomed a new visa category allowing non-locals to take part in short-term training programs recognized by government departments, saying the measure would support the WestK Academy in nurturing arts and cultural talent from Asia and beyond.

WKCDA said it would work with the Government and other stakeholders to implement the policy directions and strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international cultural exchange center.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓