Hong Kong will “seize every opportunity” to assist influencers, Chief Executive John Lee has said, after American streamer IShowSpeed reportedly snubbed the city’s tourism board.
“The tourism board actually approached Speed on various arrangements and indicated their willingness to provide assistance, but Speed did not approach the tourism board, so the government did not take any action,” Lee said in Cantonese on Tuesday morning, ahead of his weekly meeting with the Executive Council.
“But I must stress that the government will seize every opportunity for Speed or any other influencers if they come to Hong Kong,” he added. “I’m sure everyone would like to see Hong Kong being promoted… We want everyone to see the merits of Hong Kong.”
IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr, live-streamed his visit in Hong Kong for more than nine and a half hours on Friday, coinciding with Ching Ming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day.
The young YouTuber, who is 20 years old, revealed that he has reached an impressive milestone of 38 million subscribers. 140,000 to 150,000 On Friday, viewers logged into his livestream to watch him engage with the city's inhabitants. By Tuesday morning, the Hong Kong video had garnered over 10 million views.
The Tourism Board told Local media reported last week that they had reached out to Watkins' team for potential support during his trip, but the streaming personality's representatives did not reply.
After touring various Chinese cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, and Chengdu, Watkins reached Hong Kong. He visited Shenzhen on Saturday prior to this arrival. returning to Hong Kong on Sunday evening.
Streamer’s China tour
A significant portion of the online discussion around the streamer's visit, especially on Threads, centered on suggestions for improving Watkins' schedule. Local influencers like Torres Pit from Dim Sum Daily and Bertram Lau were prominently mentioned in these conversations. criticism about their duties as tour guides, along with their rapport with the streamer.
Separately, lawmaker Dominic Lee compared During Watkins' visit to Hong Kong alongside the YouTube personality, they visited Shenzhen where he enjoyed food delivery via drones and tested electric vehicle models from leading Chinese company BYD. "While in Hong Kong, all he consumed was beef tripe and took part in 'beating up villains.' Is this really appropriate?"
In the video, Watkins seemed clearly stressed when he was surrounded by enthusiastic young fans in Yau Ma Tei, continually asking them to "calm down."
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I believe starting [the stream] today wasn't ideal since it was a holiday... those children didn't have school," Watkins remarked during the live broadcast as he entered his vehicle to escape the huge throng, describing the scene as "overwhelming.
earlier today, Watkins broadcast his interaction with pandas at Ocean Park, sampled snake soup at Temple Street, and engaged local residents in games of soccer and basketball.
Meanwhile, Watkins has been lauded as stated by the Chinese embassy in the U.S., indicating that his China trip "reflects a growing tendency of online personalities narrowing cultural divides and establishing alternate pathways for international viewers to grasp a dynamic China."
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