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Following is the question by the Hon Lau Kon-wah and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury (in the absence of the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour), Mr Frederick Ma, in the Legislative Council today (March 28):
Question:
Regarding the dissemination of tourism information about Hong Kong to visitors, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows:
(a) if the relevant authorities disseminate tourism information about Hong Kong to airlines and travel services companies on a regular basis; if they do, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(b) the number of existing visitor information centres/counters in Hong Kong operated by the relevant authorities and their geographical distribution, and whether the relevant authorities have reviewed if the number of such centres/counters is sufficient;
(c) the number of complaints received by the relevant authorities in each of the past three years that tourism promotion services were inadequate or poor; and
(d) if the relevant authorities will consider establishing visitor information centres in every immigration control point; if not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has been making use of various channels to disseminate tourism information about Hong Kong to airlines, tourism service providers, etc.
Through its website dedicated for the travel trade, PartnerNet, the HKTB provides trade partners with information on mega events, tourism products and sightseeing itineraries in Hong Kong, as well as data analysis of the tourism industry. The website has been widely used by the travel trade.
As for airlines, the HKTB will send them videos about Hong Kong for in-flight broadcast. During mega events, festive and special promotional periods, the HKTB will provide the airlines with related promotional videos and encourage them to broadcast on board, so as to encourage visitors to participate in these activities. The HKTB will also broadcast promotional videos in the airport in Hong Kong.
The HKTB has all along been providing tourism service providers with promotional materials about Hong Kong, so that the latter can, based on their operational needs, determine how to use or distribute these materials to facilitate visitors to obtain the relevant information.
(b) & (d) At present, the HKTB has six Visitor Information & Services Centres (Visitor Centres) at the following four locations:
Area Location Number
---- -------- ------
Hong Kong Transfer Area E2 3
International and Buffer Halls A
Airport and B in Terminal 1
Lo Wu Arrival Hall, 2/F, 1
Lo Wu Terminal Building
Hong Kong Island Causeway Bay MTR station 1
Kowloon Star Ferry Concourse, 1
Tsim Sha Tsui
Total: 6
The HKTB regularly reviews the number of its Visitor Centres and their location to ensure that they can cater for visitors' needs. For instance, the HKTB is planning to open a Visitor Centre at the Peak by the end of this year to provide visitors with information.
In considering whether to set up Visitor Centres at other control points, the HKTB will need to consider the practical situation regarding passenger flow, space available and the setting at the control points. At present, the HKTB already operates Visitor Centres at two control points with the highest visitor traffic, namely the Hong Kong International Airport and Lo Wu. As for other control points with no Visitor Centres, including Lok Ma Chau, China Ferry Terminal, Macau Ferry Terminal, Hung Hom Kowloon-Canton Railway Station and Man Kam To, the HKTB has set up various visitor facilities, such as self-served literature racks and giant promotional banners, to disseminate travel information among visitors. Furthermore, HKTB's promotional materials can be obtained at more than 140 locations in Hong Kong, including hotels, attractions, shopping malls and transport facilities (e.g., Star Ferry and the Peak Tram) etc. The HKTB also uses outdoor video walls on buildings in busy locations to broadcast promotional videos.
During mega events, major festivals and Golden Weeks, the HKTB will deploy additional staff to greet visitors at various control points, and distribute to them welcome packs that contain the latest travel information and offers and privileges for visitors. The HKTB will also set up temporary Visitor Centres at mega event locations to assist visitors with their enquiries. Moreover, the HKTB has established a website with rich content and detailed information on Hong Kong tourism in 12 languages for browsing by visitors.
(c) In the past three years, the HKTB has received a total of three complaints regarding insufficient or unsatisfactory promotional services.
Ends/Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:15
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