Replies to initial written questions raised by Finance Committee Members in examining the Estimates of Expenditure 2012-13 Director of Bureau : Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Session No. 12 File name : cedb(cit)- doc
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Question : Over the past years, members of the public and the tourism industry have on a number of occasions questioned whether it will be more suitable if the tourism promotional programmes of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), such as the Wine and Dine Festival and Dragon Boat Carnival, are to be organised by the Trade Development Council and Home Affairs Department instead. They opine that the HKTB should only be responsible for publicity activities so as to save on its huge expenditures and streamline its staffing establishment. Will the Government consider the above views seriously by reviewing the work nature of the HKTB and examining whether there is a need for the HKTB to further reduce its expenditures and manpower? If it will, what is the plan? If not, will it examine the matter as soon as possible? Asked by : Hon. TSE Wai-chun, Paul Reply : The primary task of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is to promote Hong Kong as a world-class travel destination, increase global travellers’ interest in visiting Hong Kong, and enrich their experience during their stay in the city. Based on the marketing strategies devised by the Head Office, the Worldwide Offices of the HKTB work closely with the travel trade and the media in their respective markets to devise promotion catering for the interests of different visitor segments in the target source markets, so as to attract more visitors to Hong Kong. Organising tourism-related large scale events is only one of the various major initiatives undertaken by the HKTB. These large scale events, which feature a variety of tourism elements, not only help enrich visitors’ experience, but also attract international media coverage and draw the global spotlight to Hong Kong, thereby publicising the tourism brand of Hong Kong in the long run. In addition, these large scale events serve as business platforms for the tourism and related sectors to develop or package their offers, products and itineraries during different times of the year. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s role is mainly to promote Hong Kong’s external trade. The Home Affairs Department under the Home Affairs Bureau is mainly responsible for community building and community involvement activities for fostering community spirit. Their missions and scopes of work are distinct and different from those of the HKTB. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||