Session No. 5 File name : cedb(cit)- doc
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- Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2010-11
Question: It is mentioned under Matters Requiring Special Attention in 2010-11 that the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau will continue to plan for Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Phase 3. Would the Administration advise this Committee: (a) What is the progress of the plan since its inception for long? Is there any initial outcome? (b) What are the locations that have been considered for developing Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Phase 3? (c) Is there any timetable for the plan? (d) What is the estimated expenditure to be borne by the Government under the plan? Asked by: Hon. LAM Kin-fung, Jeffrey Reply: In 2010-11, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau will continue to monitor the long-term demand for convention and exhibition facilities in Hong Kong and plan for the provision of additional quality facilities when needed. On Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s proposal for a Phase 3 development of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre at a nearby site, the Government is still examining the relevant issues (including its location, design, related planning issues as well as its impacts on the traffic, environment and other public facilities in the vicinity). The Government has not made any decision on the proposal, timetable and estimated expenditure. We will conduct a public consultation at an appropriate time when there is a concrete proposal.
Question : Under Matters Requiring Special Attention in 2010-11, it is mentioned that the Bureau would “co-ordinate with the HKTB, the trade and relevant training institutions to facilitate supply of talents and enhance promotional efforts for the MICE, cruise and related tourism sectors”. What is the specific plan for nurturing talents in the tourism sector? Would the Government incur any expenditure under the plan? Asked by : Hon. LAM Kin-fung, Jeffrey Reply : The Government has spared no efforts in enhancing the appeal of Hong Kong as the premier travel destination in the region. As an important part of our tourism development strategy, the Government has been vigorously developing the Meetings, Incentive Travels, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) and cruise tourism sectors. In view of the growing competition in the region, nurturing the best talent is of paramount importance. In respect of MICE training, the Tourism Commission (TC) appointed a consultant to study the manpower requirements of the MICE sector in 2008. At present, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the Vocational Training Council (VTC), the Employees Retraining Board (ERB) and the Productivity Council provide courses on MICE. In the 2009-10 academic year, PolyU has launched Hong Kong’s first degree programme on convention and event management. PolyU, CUHK, VTC and ERB offer courses to train tourism and hotel personnel. Training institutions also strive to upgrade their teaching facilities. For instance, the teaching hotel of CUHK was opened last year, providing training opportunities for students. Executives of this hotel also give lectures on hotel management. In addition, there is a training restaurant in PolyU which is run by students. A teaching hotel in PolyU is under construction and is expected to be completed within this year. To facilitate the trade in manpower development for the cruise sector, TC and the Advisory Committee on Cruise Industry (ACCI) have drawn up and implemented the following action plan - (i) to create a database of cruise-related courses provided by tertiary and training institutes to facilitate the trade and members of the public to select suitable courses. The information was uploaded onto the websites of TC and the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC) in March last year. TC will update the relevant information regularly; (ii) to launch training courses related to cruise tourism through the Government’s “Skills Upgrading Scheme (SUS)” and TIC since the middle of last year, including “Introductory course on cruise travel”, “Practical skills in servicing cruise travellers” and “Cruise selling training course”, etc. In 2009, there were about 300 enrolments in the above courses, and over 700 places will be available in 2010. We will closely monitor the needs of the trade and adjust the supply of the training places if necessary. We will also continue to encourage the cruise and related industries in manpower development to meet the needs of the cruise market in Hong Kong; and (iii) to collaborate with the Curriculum Development Institute of the Education Bureau in conducting seminars on the development of cruise tourism in Hong Kong for secondary school teachers teaching “Tourism and Hospitality Studies (THS)”, so as to enhance their understanding of cruise tourism development in Hong Kong. Two seminars with attendance of 125 teachers were organised in 2009. In 2010-11, ACCI plans to organise activities related to cruise tourism and the travel trade (such as cruise ship tours and experience sharing sessions) for secondary school students taking THS, to encourage and attract talents to join the tourism industry. In addition, we will co-ordinate with TIC and SUS to provide training courses on other subjects, including ticketing, tourist guide, crisis management, cultural monument appreciation, nature guide and geological feature appreciation, etc. TC will continue to proactively promote exchanges and co-operation with training institutes, the travel trade, TIC and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, to meet the training needs of trade members with a view to facilitating the overall development of the travel industry. The expenditure for the training courses related to tourism launched under the Government’s SUS is absorbed by the SUS and is not shown under Head 152. TC will continue to promote manpower development in the MICE and hotel, cruise and relevant tourism sectors with existing manpower and resources in 2010-11.
Directory: citb -> doc doc -> 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 Download 4.7 Mb. Share with your friends:
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