Blog

Promoting sustained development of the tourism industry

A gist of the blog:

The tourism industry, which makes up five per cent of GDP and employs about 270 000 people, has been driving the growth of other related industries including retail, hotel and catering industries, and contributing significantly to Hong Kong's economy. This term of Government attaches great importance to the sustained development of tourism industry. I chaired a high-level co-ordinating committee last week and discussed with relevant bureau secretaries and heads of departments about how to strengthen co-ordination and co-operation amongst bureaux/departments for promoting the holistic development of tourism industry.

The meeting has discussed a number of projects and initiatives, such as to improve the transport connectivity of Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, to make it more convenient for cruise passengers by conducting immigration clearance on-board, and to expedite the processing of hotel and guesthouse licence applications on the conditions that building safety and fire safety standards are met.

While promoting the development of tourism, we must be mindful about the impact of people and traffic flow to localities where tourists and tourist attractions are highly concentrated, and try to minimize such impact to the local residents.

October 8, 2017