'Heritage revitalisation to boost rural tourism'

The Development Bureau on Sunday said it plans to promote urban-rural integration in the Northern Metropolis by revitalising historic buildings and creating a heritage trail there.

This came after the government proposed to allocate HK$200 million to launch a pilot scheme that aims to encourage rural tourism projects in the area in this year's budget.

In the bureau’s latest blog post, Liu Chiu-wing, assistant secretary of the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office, said the authorities were formulating guidelines on urban-rural integration to improve the quality of life and economy of the villages.

The government also wanted to promote exchanges between urban and rural areas, preserve the rural traditions in the New Territories and achieve sustainable development, he added.

Liu said the authorities have proposed various measures to achieve these goals, including revitalising historic buildings and launch a San Tin Timewalk trail to connect cultural sites.

He hoped government-led projects would encourage NGOs to join the scheme.

“We hope to serve as a role model, encouraging relevant bodies to apply for subsidies under the proposed pilot scheme to restore and revitalise some privately-owned village buildings, promote rural tourism and foster urban-rural integration,” he said.

The authorities plan to roll out the pilot scheme within this year.

Edited by Edmond Fong ...