Lawmaker Perry Yiu on Thursday said the government should provide subsidies to encourage more local tours and in turn boost consumption.

He said at a press briefing that Hong Kong has a lot of new go-to spots, such as the East Coast Boardwalk and the Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence, and such tours could serve as a way for citizens to learn more about their community.

Yiu suggested the government allocate HK$10 million to each district and allow for organisers to apply for funding, according to the number of participants, as a way to keep tour fees low and attract residents in joining such tours.

"I think to boost local consumption, we cannot just rely on tourists. We need to encourage our local citizens to spend more, so that's why we proposed to the government to launch this scheme to promote local consumption," he said.

Yiu predicted this would generate HK$540 million in local consumption revenue, given around 1.8 million residents could enjoy the subsidy, if it is capped at HK$100 for each participant.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Scott Leung called on the government to roll out night time consumption vouchers of at most HK$500 per person in its budget later this month, to lift the city's atmosphere at night.

The proposed night voucher scheme would cost around HK$3.3 billion if implemented.

Leung said use of vouchers should be restricted to a specific time frame — 7pm to 2am — and would only be used for eating in restaurants and personal entertainment.