To dovetail with the initiative announced in the Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address to promote local thematic immersive tours, the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the Home Affairs Department today (June 29) released two guides to guesthouse licence applications, which facilitate individuals to apply for licences to operate holiday camps in rural areas or "home-stay lodgings" in village houses.

     The two guides are the enhanced "Guide to Licence Applications for Guesthouse (Holiday Camp) Covering Building, Caravan & Tent Campsites" and the newly published "Guide to Licence Application for Guesthouse in Village House". The guides aim to state the building and fire safety requirements flexibly formulated based on the actual circumstances of holiday camps and village houses, and set out the specific requirements and measures to facilitate the operation of holiday camps and "home-stay lodgings" in rural areas.

     According to the guides, for holiday camps or village houses located in remote areas and not equipped with emergency vehicular access or street fire hydrant, the OLA may, based on the actual circumstances and provided that fire safety requirements are met, permit applicants to adopt a pragmatic and flexible approach on fire safety measures, such as requiring installation of wheeled type dry powder fire extinguishers and self-contained smoke detectors, in order to enhance operational convenience. Besides, for village houses built before 1961, of which the construction conditions may not fully meet the current prescribed standards, the OLA may accept alternative proposals on structural safety, fire resisting construction, means of escape, lighting and ventilation provisions, etc, on individual merits, provided that they meet the building safety requirements.

     Under the premise of ensuring building and fire safety, the OLA will continue to remove barriers and lift restrictions for the trade to facilitate the operation of holiday camps and "home-stay lodgings" in rural areas, and will constantly review and enhance the licensing regime for guesthouses.

     The two guides have been uploaded to the OLA's website:

Guide to Licence Applications for Guesthouse (Holiday Camp) Covering Building, Caravan & Tent Campsites:
www.hadla.gov.hk/filemanager/en/docs/holidaycampguide.pdf

Guide to Licence Application for Guesthouse in Village House:
www.hadla.gov.hk/filemanager/en/docs/villagehouseguide.pdf

Ends/Monday, June 29, 2026
Issued at HKT 10:00

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