Formulating Measures Right away to Alleviate Impact of Occupy Central Movement on Society  (2014/10/15)

MR YIU SI-WING: Deputy President, Occupy Central has already dragged on for nearly 20 days to date. During this period, many public and commercial activities, including the National Day Fireworks Display and the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, have to be cancelled or adjusted. As a result, the international image of Hong Kong has been tarnished and the income of the tourist industry has also been affected.

I would like to ask the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development about the number of international activities which have recently been affected by Occupy Central. Besides, have the authorities put in place any remedial measures to minimize the loss of the tourist industry?


SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Deputy President, destruction is easy while remedy is difficult. The destruction made during a day may need remedy of months and even years. Hong Kong is a tourist destination. We have good reputation and business environment. However, Occupy Central is indeed harmful to Hong Kong's reputation. What we have to do is to prevent as far as possible such short-term destruction from turning into medium or long-term destruction. In the
development of tourism, time and many other associate facilities are needed, including the organization of various mega events.
As Mr YIU just said, due to Occupy Central, the venue for organizing the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival has to be changed from the new promenade in Central to the Kai Tak Runway. At present, we also know that some companies have withdrawn from the event. However, we will put in place some remedial measures as far as possible in order to attract more visitors and companies to participate in this activity at Kai Tak.


In the long run, Deputy President, we are actually planning many other mega events, all of which need proper arrangements. We cannot simply forge ahead this week for such events to take place next week. This is not possible as we need to have detailed planning. When a lot of overseas visitors come to Hong Kong, they need a long time for preparation. Therefore, the best way is to end such destructive actions as occupying Central as soon as possible. Then, we can make medium or long-term planning in respect of tourist facilities and supporting measures.