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With Chinese New Year just around the corner, many tourists will come to Hong Kong to enjoy the festive celebrations. The Home Affairs Department (HAD) appeals to tourists to patronise licensed hotels and guesthouses which comply with the prescribed standards regarding building structure, fire safety and sanitary requirements to enjoy a pleasant and safe vacation in Hong Kong.
The HAD Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) has just launched a new round of publicity to promote the message "Stay at Licensed Guesthouses Enjoy Safe Travel". In addition to broadcasting a short film (youtu.be/7fiGvRpXdqI) and Announcements in the Public Interest on TV and radio stations (youtu.be/C1WskhYwZBo), advertisements on buses and around MTR stations as well as posters and banners in tourist accommodation hotspots have also been displayed.
A HAD spokesman said, "Patronising licensed hotels and guesthouses is of utmost importance to ensure tourists' safety. When processing a licence application, the OLA will ensure that the premises concerned comply with the required structural and fire safety standards before issuing the licence, so as to ensure the safety of occupants as well as other residents and visitors to the building."
The OLA has uploaded a list of licensed hotels and guesthouses onto its webpage (www.hadla.gov.hk). Tourists may refer to the list when planning their accommodation in Hong Kong. To help them identify guesthouses licensed under the Ordinance, the OLA has launched a Licensed Guesthouse Logo Scheme, which requires all licensed guesthouses to display a special logo at the main entrance and on the doors of all guestrooms for easy identification.
The OLA will also roll out later this year a mobile application to help tourists search for information on licensed hotels and guesthouses anytime and anywhere. The OLA will continue to collaborate with the Tourism Commission, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and the Consumer Council, to appeal to tourists to patronise licensed hotels and guesthouses and convey the message to the tourism authorities on the Mainland.
Apart from publicity, the OLA will continue to step up law enforcement during the long holiday. In addition to increasing the number of blitz operations, it will also conduct large-scale inter-departmental joint operations in tourist accommodation hotspots.
The spokesman added, "It is a criminal offence to operate an unlicensed guesthouse and offenders are liable to imprisonment upon conviction, leading to to a criminal record. The Government will not tolerate any illegal operation and will continue to combat unlicensed guesthouses vigorously through a multi-pronged approach that includes strengthening law enforcement action, enhancing the deterrent effect and stepping up publicity, to ensure the safety of patrons of these establishments."
Ends/Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Issued at HKT 18:45
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