***********************************************************
To prepare for the travelling season during the Labour Day long holiday and to ensure the safety of tourists and the general public, the Office of Licensing Authority (OLA) under the Home Affairs Department (HAD) has recently stepped up enforcement actions against unlicensed hotels and guesthouses, and appeals to tourists to patronise licensed premises.
A spokesman for the HAD said, "Since last weekend, the OLA has stepped up enforcement actions, including carrying out surprise inspections, decoy operations and large-scale inter-departmental operations in various districts. The OLA officers will take stringent enforcement actions against unlicensed guesthouses by conducting day and night special operations. The operations will also be mounted during the public holiday."
The spokesman stressed that operating an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000, two years' imprisonment and a fine of $20,000 for each day during which the offence continues.
The spokesman appealed to tourists to look at the details of licensed hotels and guesthouses uploaded onto the webpage at www.hadla.gov.hk by the OLA or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses" available at the Apple App Store or on Google Play before visiting Hong Kong. In addition, the OLA requires all licensed guesthouses to display a guesthouse logo at the main entrance and on the door of each of the guestrooms to help tourists identify them.
The HAD spokesman said, "When processing a licence application, the OLA will ascertain that the premises concerned comply with the statutory building structure and fire safety standards as well as the requirements on sanitary configuration, so as to ensure the safety of visitors and members of the public. However, unlicensed guesthouses may not comply with the prescribed building structure and fire safety standards and will pose threats to the safety of occupants as well as other residents and visitors to the building. Therefore, we appeal to tourists to patronise licensed guesthouses for a safe stay in Hong Kong."
The OLA has recently been promoting the importance of patronising licensed guesthouses through broadcasting Announcement in the Public Interest (API) on outdoor LED TV panels in tourist accommodation hotspots and the Yahoo website. Other publicity channels include advertisements on tramcar and around MTR stations, YouTube videos, APIs on TV and radio stations, posters and banners.
The OLA will also continue to collaborate with the Tourism Commission, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and the Consumer Council (CC), to appeal to tourists to patronise licensed hotels and guesthouses and convey the message to the tourism authorities on the Mainland. The CC also urges the visitors not to patronise unlicensed guesthouses on its dedicated "Shopsmart" website for Mainland tourists.
Anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses may report it to the OLA by the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website, or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".
Ends/Thursday, April 30, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:13
NNNN
