Requested the Government to allocate additional resources to support the tourism industry
Requested the Government to allocate additional resources to support the tourism industry
The tourism industry is facing a transformation period in recent years. The decline in the number of visitors and change of consumption patterns has largely affected the business of inbound travel. Besides, outbound travel facing the competition of direct sales from product suppliers and online sales, as well as increase in operating costs, have altogether caused operational difficulties to travel agents. In view of the hardship encountered by the industry, I have been asking the Government to provide more support for our fellow members, and the detailed response are as follow:
In the 2016-2017 Policy Address and Budget, the following measures were mentioned in order to provide direct support to the industry:
1. Continue to waive license fees for travel agents, hotels, and guesthouses for one year
2. Provide an additional $243 million to the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in order to support the development of the tourism industry
3. Allocate $5 million to the TIC for providing training in the industry
4. The HKTB to subsidize travel agents to develop products for cross-boundary passengers by implementing the "Hong Kong Transit Programme" and "Hong Kong Extended Stay Programme"
On 6 October, 2016, I met with Mr. C Y LEUNG, the former Chief Executive.
On 3 January, 2017, I expressed concerns at the Panel on Financial Affairs regarding the Government's practical measures in the coming annual budget for developing other tourist projects and providing relevant supports to the tourism industry.
On 10 February, 2016, I sent a letter to Mr. Paul Chan Mo-po, the Financial Secretary, to seek support from the Government in continuing to implement policies and measures that can benefit members of the tourism industry in the new financial year.
22 February, 2017, I held a media briefing on the Budget with other independent members.
- To promote the establishment of high-level Government structure and coordinate tourism-related matters
Besides, Mrs. Carrie Lam promised to assign a chief secretary as soon as possible for inter-disciplinary study on Hong Kong's tourism plan and better managing the collaboration among different departments, so as to solve the problems that the tourism industry is currently facing. I also suggested that once the operation of the inter-departmental coordinating committee is matured, the government may consider setting up a tourism bureau on this basis.
On 5 July 2017, Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the newly elected Chief Executive, attended the Chief Executive's Question and Answer Session of the LegCo. During the Session, I asked if the Chief Executive would continue the previous Government's support for the tourism industry, and the response was positive.
On 1 March, 2017, the LegCo debated on the motion of "Review and Restructure of Government Framework", in which I proposed an amendment and urged the Government to prioritize the need to the establishment of the Tourism Bureau when reviewing and restructuring the Government Framework.
On 18 July, 2017, I submitted the “Submission for 2017-18 Policy Address” to Mrs. Carrie Lam the Chief Executive, and made 25 recommendations on four aspects. While looking forward to more measures that benefit the development of tourism in the new policy address, I also hope the supportive policies of the last Government on the tourism industry can be carried on.
On 18 July, 2017, I submitted “Policy Recommendations for 2017-18 Policy Address” to Mrs. Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, the Chief Executive.
