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The Government invites interested parties to submit Expressions of Interest by December 31 for the development of a new cruise terminal, in order to ascertain whether there are feasible locations other than Kai Tak for development of new cruise terminal facilities before 2011.
A Government spokesman said the purpose of the invitation for Expressions of Interest was to obtain market feedback. "It is not a tender exercise. We are now expediting the process of developing a cruise terminal at Kai Tak. However, before we confirm the development option of Kai Tak, we need to verify if there are suitable locations other than Kai Tak that may enable an earlier development of a cruise terminal to meet the needs of the tourism industry. As the development of a new cruise terminal involves precious land resources in Victoria Harbour and substantial investment, before making the final decision we must ensure that the selected site is the best site available and it is acceptable from a town planning point of view."
The spokesman pointed out that Hong Kong needs to develop a new cruise terminal as soon as possible. The Government has long considered the location at the end of the runway of the former Kai Tak Airport at South East Kowloon to be the ideal location for development of new cruise terminal facilities. Apart from its central location within Victoria Harbour, the site is technically feasible and has expansion capability. However, the timetable of the Kai Tak Planning Review cannot fully meet the needs of developing the cruise industry. The Government is, on the one hand, expediting the relevant planning review procedures so that the completion of the cruise terminal development could be advanced from 2013 to 2011. On the other hand, it is looking for other feasible locations that will enable the cruise terminal to be developed faster. Therefore, the Government decided to invite interested parties to submit Expressions of Interest, in order to gauge the market feedback on whether there are suitable and feasible locations other than Kai Tak for the development of a new cruise terminal before 2011.
It is specified in the Government's Invitation Document that the suggestions must fulfil the requirements set by the Government. For instance, the proposed location must be within Victoria Harbour; it must have a faster timetable for developing cruise terminal faculties than Kai Tak; it must be technically feasible; capable of accommodating mega cruise ships; and the site has to be put to tender. Otherwise, the Government would not consider the suggestions.
"If we cannot identify a suggestion that could meet all our requirements through this invitation for Expressions of Interest, the Government would not consider any sites other than Kai Tak and would focus on developing a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak. If indeed there are such suggestions, the Government would follow the current planning procedures by conducting an in-depth review of the overall suitability of the proposed locations for development of a new cruise terminal, and put the site to tender after public consultation," the spokesman explained.
Interested parties can download the Invitation Document from the website of the Tourism Commission at www.tourism.gov.hk, or obtain copies of the document from the Tourism Commission office at 2/F East Wing, Central Government Offices, and submit Expressions of Interest by December 31.
Ends/Thursday, November 3, 2005
Issued at HKT 12:22
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