Plans will include increasing the number of museums under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to 19 and the number of seats at performance venues by about 50 percent, John Lee said.

The East Kowloon Cultural Centre will be commissioned in phases starting next year to become a base for accelerating the promotion and application of integrated "Arts+Tech."

To leverage market forces for the development of arts and culture, officials will also devise measures to encourage the provision of facilities such as theaters in private developments.

There is an aim to build four museums within 10 years, including an activity center for promoting Chinese history and culture in Kowloon Park and a heritage conservation and resource center in Tin Shui Wai.

The intention to site the other two museums at the Northern Metropolis and the Kau Yi Chau artificial islands, though those ideas are still being shaped.

Lee revealed there will be a new campus for the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in the Northern Metropolis, while raising the proportion of nonlocal students.

Elsewhere, about 30 sports and recreation facilities are in the works, including a sports park at Whitehead, Ma On Shan, and large-scale sports and recreation facilities in the Northern Metropolis.

Additionally, at least 10 major international sports events will be held annually.

A five-year pilot program will be launched on careers and education for athletes with disabilities to equip them for post-competition times. That could be under way in six months.

Lee also pushed for local tourism, including programs involving the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

He said a "round-the-island trail" of 60 kilometers on Hong Kong Island will start to be developed next year, connecting waterfront promenades on the northern shore and promenades and countryside walking trails in the Southern District. The aim is to have it 90 percent complete in five years.

And the administration will continue to promote local tourism by allocating HK$600 million for a three-year cultural and heritage sites local tour incentive scheme to encourage tourism operators to develop features.

The Tourism Board will launch a new round of "Spend-to-Redeem" local tours and "Staycation Delights" with increased quotas.

Authorities will also enhance support for meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions to attract more overnight visitors.

Such measures will not only help bring back high value-added business travelers but also encourage the travel sector to "gear up for new tourism trends and drive Hong Kong's development as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange," said HKTB chairman Pang Yiu-kai.

Also being developed are 1,000 hectares of green belt in southern Lantau for eco-tourism or recreation plus weekend bazaars in five districts this year.