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Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, at the Airport of the Year 2002 Celebration Reception today (May 8):
Victor, Dr Pang, Mr Plaisted, Ladies & Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to join you on this special and happy occasion to celebrate the award the Hong Kong International Airport received from Skytrax Research as "Airport of the Year 2002".
Victor, I congratulate you, the staff of the Airport Authority, indeed the entire airport community for successfully taking the Hong Kong International Airport to such a high level of international recognition that it has been elected by the international travelling public as the Airport of the Year for the second time in two years. This, following closely on the award of "Cargo Airport of the Year", clearly demonstrates the hard work and dedication of all concerned.
You deserve to be proud of what you have achieved in just four years since the airport opened and in the face of some extremely keen competition from airports all over the world.
Our long-term vision is to make Hong Kong a leading international and regional aviation centre. Today, over 65 international airlines operate out of the Airport connecting Hong Kong to some 130 cities worldwide. It is the world's number one international cargo airport in terms of tonnage throughput. It is also the world's fifth busiest international passenger airport. Our air transport industry, including travel agents and freight forwarders, employs a work force of some 50,000 people. But the economic spin off effects of air transportation go well beyond the air transport industry itself, creating added value and new job opportunities in as many fields as transport and logistics, tourism, retail, hotel, restaurants, etc.
In recent years, Hong Kong has faced many challenges. We have successfully turned the concept of "One Country, Two Systems" into an everyday reality. We have weathered the storms of the Asian financial crisis. We now face a further challenge, namely that of the restructuring of our economy. A restructuring that has been made necessary by globalisation, the advent of information technology and the challenges and opportunities brought by the rapid development of the Mainland economy and Mainland cities.
To successfully tackle this particular new challenge, we must have a clear vision of the future. After a detailed review of our competitive advantages, our vision is for Hong Kong to become one of the major cities of China and to be the World City of Asia. What is London for Europe, New York for North and South America and so is Hong Kong for Asia. Hong Kong boasts many competitive advantages. We are an important international financial and service centre, a centre for trade, regional headquarters for business, logistics and transport, tourism, and a gateway to the Mainland of China. We must make the best use of these advantages in our economic restructuring and move up the value chain in these and other new activities.
To do so, we need to continue to invest in our infrastructure. We have committed significant investments in the further expansion of the airport, in our road and rail network, in port and cross border facilities, as well as in telecom infrastructure. All these investments are necessary to ensure that Hong Kong will continue to enjoy a world class infrastructure.
But to become truly Asia's World City, it is not just about the hardware. It is also about the software, about quality of people and about quality of life for all our citizens. In the last few years, we have already begun our efforts to improve our education, clean up our air and water and provide a better living environment for all in Hong Kong. To maintain our competitive edge, however, we must continue to build on our strengths, promote a customer-oriented culture and always be prepared to walk an extra mile and take an extra step to serve our customers, and we must continue to add value to our services through the use of innovation and technology.
The Hong Kong International Airport has set a fine example for us. Through the commitment and dedication of its management and staff to quality and customer service and the use of innovation and technology, we are constantly moving up the value chain, strengthening our competitive advantage, and safeguarding Hong Kong's position as the premier international and regional aviation hub. The success of the Hong Kong International Airport has reinforced our confidence that, by moving up the value chain and providing good quality of service by our other industries, our economic restructuring will be successful.
Before closing, let me congratulate the Airport Authority once again on winning this prestigious award. I want to tell you truly, Mr Plaisted, it is an honour for Hong Kong for which we truly appreciate. Victor, Dr Pang, and all the airport community colleagues, please keep up the good work. Thank you very much.
End/Wednesday, May 8, 2002
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