As Hong Kong marks the 29th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule on July 1, the South China Morning Post talks to the city’s senior officials about the administration’s achievements so far and what may lie ahead.

Hong Kong’s next Kai Tak Cruise Terminal operator must be “very visionary” and do far more than simply manage cruise berthing operations, the city’s tourism minister has said, revealing that prospective bidders sought extra time to work on their proposals before the government extended the tender deadline by more than a month earlier this year.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said interested parties had approached the Tourism Commission to seek extra time because of the expanded scope of responsibilities under the new contract, prompting authorities to push back the deadline from May 22 to June 26.

“The Tourism Commission made the recommendation that maybe we should [extend the deadline],” she told the South China Morning Post.

The government announced the extension in March, saying bidders needed more time to prepare submissions because of broader management responsibilities and new performance targets introduced under the tender.