Secretary Rosanna Law Highlights Hong Kong's Tourism Innovations at WTCF Gala Dinner

Speech by SCST at World Tourism Cities Federation Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2025 Gala Dinner

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit 2025 Gala Dinner today (April 16):

Mr Michael Lee, Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Guo Huaigang, Secretary General of WTCF, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen and friends from the global tourism community,

Good evening, everyone!

Over the past few days, we have witnessed together a rich and colourful array of Summit activities, from experiencing Hong Kong's diversified and unique tourism resources through visiting tourists attractions, to engaging in in-depth fora and meetings about the latest developments, trends, and insights of the tourism industry, on top of deepened mutual understanding and strengthened friendship, I know that we also reached valuable consensus covering many aspects on tourism development. Through exploring innovative strategies and best practices that can elevate our respective destinations and enhance the experiences we offer to visitors from around the globe together, I am confident that we shall meet our common goal and achieve high-quality development of the tourism economy.

As far as Hong Kong is concerned, we boast significant traditional strengths: world-class tourist attractions, vibrant culinary scene, efficient urban management and unparalleled transport systems, to name just a few. Some of you have experienced first hand the tourism assets of Hong Kong earlier this week and just now in the afternoon. But Hong Kong is a city that never stands still. We are working in full steam to strengthen these assets, as well as unearthing new tourism resources to consolidate our position as a world-class premier tourist destination. One of our key strategies is to press ahead with the four "+ Tourism" directions, which integrates culture, sports, ecology and mega events into our tourism offerings. And tonight we are enjoying the breathtaking ambiance of the iconic Happy Valley racecourse, which is a perfect example for illustrating this approach.

Horse racing has been a cornerstone of Hong Kong's cultural identity for over a century. It is a game, a sport and so much more. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is Hong Kong's largest charitable donor, and the various sectors under my purview – sports, culture and tourism, benefit tremendously from the generosity of the Jockey Club. And as you can see and feel for yourselves, horse-racing is also a vibrant social event that brings people together, and people are enjoying themselves no doubt. We are further enriching this activity with cultural experiences, culinary delights, and entertainment. Unique tourism products, integrating different offerings, are being developed to bring holistic experience to visitors. Similarly, we are also crafting a series of distinctive and attractive tourism products and projects under the four "+ Tourism" directions to showcase Hong Kong's unique and diversified characteristics in new and exciting ways.

Tourism is an important dynamo for economic development, and an important bridge that connects people and culture. In the face of future challenges and opportunities, we need to unite more closely and jointly explore new friends, areas and paths in tourism. I believe that with the friendship we developed in the last few days, and our concerted efforts, we can together foster brighter and sustainable development of the global tourism industry.

Once again, please accept my sincere gratitude for your active participation in this episode of the Fragment Hills Tourism Summit, and your unwavering dedication to advancing the tourism sector.

I would also like to take this opportunity to express my special and heartfelt gratitude to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Chairman Michael and CEO Winfried, for the Club's generous sponsorship of this wonderful evening.

Thank you so very much, and enjoy the rest of your evening!

Government continues to support owners having engaged Will Power and Prestige

The Police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption stated earlier today (June 10) that they had laid charges against Will Power Architects Company Limited (Will Power) and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., Limited (Prestige), as well as seven individuals who played different roles in the major maintenance project of Wang Fuk Court. The Government understands that some buildings and housing estates have hired these two companies as consultant or contractor for their building maintenance works. As the individuals and companies involved will no longer be able to perform their duties for the works, the Government is providing appropriate support to assist these owners in following up the relevant works having regard to their circumstances.

For owners who have engaged Will Power as their consultant with the maintenance works commenced, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) announced yesterday (June 9) that it would provide transitional arrangement free-of-charge for approximately 37 cases that have received URA's building rehabilitation subsidies or support services, so as to assist the owners in engaging an Independent Reviewer to promptly conduct third-party assessment, clarify the fees for the completed but not yet paid works so that the owners' corporations (OCs)/ owners can pay to the contractors, as well as prepare tender documents for the appointment of a new works consultant. As for a few cases that are not URA's original clients, the URA may also provide such transitional arrangement on a fee-paying basis. Please refer to the press release issued by the URA for details (www.ura.org.hk/en/news-centre/press-releases/20260609).

As for cases where Will Power has been engaged as consultant but yet to sign the works contract with the contractor, the owners should first terminate the contract with Will Power, and then consider engaging a new works consultant through the enhanced "Smart Tender" to be launched by the Government and the URA. In this connection, in order to facilitate owners' termination of the consultancy services of Will Power, the Development Bureau (DEVB) has, in consultation with the URA and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS), compiled a set of reference materials to provide advice to the OCs on the termination of the consultancy services of Will Power and follow-up matters. The District Offices will contact the affected OCs and owners through their district networks to provide relevant reference materials and arrange briefings by the URA and the HKIS to these OCs and owners where necessary.

In addition, regarding cases where Prestige has been engaged as the contractor while their consultant is not Will Power, since qualified consultants have been engaged for these maintenance works, the consultants have the responsibility to assist owners in supervising their contractors' work and addressing any issues that arise during the course of the works. Hence, the owners should discuss possible solutions with their consultants, including terminating the existing works contracts, and consider seeking legal advice where necessary. The District Offices will continue to contact the affected OCs and owners through their district networks to provide appropriate support.

If buildings have received Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme notices and the compliance period has expired or will expire shortly, the Buildings Department (BD) will exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis.

Furthermore, a DEVB spokesman said that the BD had removed Prestige from the register of general building contractors in February this year. However, this will not exempt Prestige or the relevant individuals from criminal liabilities under the Buildings Ordinance. For contractors, registered inspectors and other involved persons who have violated the Ordinance, the BD will separately take prosecution actions and impose penalties having regard to the investigation results.

Source: AI-found images