Following is the opening remarks by the Financial Secretary, Mr Henry Tang, at the Tourism Forum 2007 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this morning (June 15) (English only):

"Quality Travel – Your Choice"

Chairman Shao, Distinguished Guests and Speakers, Ladies and Gentlemen,

     Good morning. On behalf of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I would like to offer my warmest congratulations and welcome to this forum and for all of our guests from overseas and the Mainland of China. This Tourism Forum 2007 is a major event organised by the tourism sector to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

     I am delighted to see so many of you, especially all of you from the Mainland and overseas, having taken the time to travel to Hong Kong and to attend the Tourism Forum this morning. We have a good mix of both executives and front-line practitioners from a wide range of tourism related industries, both locally and internationally, including airlines, hoteliers, travel agents, retailers, restaurant operators, government representatives and tourism marketing bodies.  With the theme "Quality Travel – Your Choice", this forum represents a precious opportunity for us to share our valuable experience and learn from each other how we may further enhance the quality of our tourism industry.

     Tourism has always been and will continue to be an important part of our economy. Last year, we received a record-breaking number of over 25 million visitors. Together they contributed nearly HK$120 billion to our economy.

     The SAR Government has invested about HK$30 billion (US$3.8 billion) in tourism projects in the past few years to enrich our visitors’ experience. Together with our private sector, we will continue to invest in tourism infrastructure in the years to come. These include new flagship projects like a new cruise terminal and the redevelopment of Ocean Park which we are all very excited to see, as well as a chain of enhancement projects in local districts.  The total amount of investment reaches well over HK$10 billion.

     Hong Kong is renowned as a shopping and dining paradise.  Our Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme, operated by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, aims to provide our visitors with information on shops and restaurants that offer quality service.  Indeed, participants of the scheme have grown from about 1,000 retail and dining outlets in April, 2000, to more than 6,400 outlets today. They are easily recognisable by their large “Q” on the front. So visit shops with “Q” and service quality is guaranteed.

     To stay ahead in the global competition, not only do we need new tourist attractions and effective promotion, we must also deliver professional, first-class and value-for-money service.  Tourism is a people business, I am sure you all know very well, we must not underestimate the importance of word of mouth.  We must continue to be vigilant in maintaining the best quality of service and in protecting our consumer rights. The key is to enhance tourists’ access to information and provide our tourists with an effective complaint handling mechanism.

     To this end, the Hong Kong Consumer Council receives and investigates complaints from tourists, and gives advice to them on smart consumption. Our law enforcement agencies also take swift enforcement actions against isolated cases of fraud.  I am glad that Hong Kong enjoys a good reputation of providing quality tourism service. According to visitor satisfaction surveys conducted by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in 2006, about 80% of visitors rated the hospitality and services of our front-line staff in the retail sector as above average.

     This Forum offers an international platform for members of the industry to exchange views on quality tourism and services affecting tourism development in this region.  In addition to the keynote speech by Chairman Shao which we are all looking forward to, the Forum will cover two key areas including the infrastructure and software development in supporting quality travel and a case study on service quality of the Mainland outbound travel. With the quality input from our distinguished speakers from across the region, I believe this exchange of ideas and experiences will further enhance our understanding of the issues and challenges that we are facing and the actions required to enhance the travel experience of our visitors.

     I wish all participants a stimulating and rewarding experience this morning. To our distinguished speakers and guests from overseas, may I wish you a very pleasant and fruitful stay in Hong Kong. And do put a dent in your credit card. Our economy will thank you.

     Thank you very much.

Ends/Friday, June 15, 2007
Issued at HKT 11:26

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