CS chairs interdepartmental working group meeting on festival arrangements
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (September 23) chaired a meeting of the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements to holistically co-ordinate and steer the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland (i.e. from October 1 to 7). The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Liu Chun-sun, and representatives from other relevant government departments also attended.
Mr Chan said, "The number of visitor arrivals is expected to increase during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The Government will make good preparations for receiving visitors, and maintain close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade to prepare well for crowd management, information dissemination and arrangements of public transportation and boundary control points (BCPs), with a view to responding promptly to various kinds of emergencies and ensuring the smooth operation of various aspects in receiving visitors and offering them a high-quality experience."
Estimated visitor flow and preparatory work
According to the Immigration Department (ImmD)'s estimate, around 1.29 million Mainland visitors will visit Hong Kong via various sea, land and air control points during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. Compared with last year's National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, the daily average visitor arrivals are expected to increase by over five per cent.
According to the estimate of the Travel Industry Authority (TIA) and the trade, it is anticipated that about 1 180 inbound tour groups will visit Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The TIA has reminded travel agents receiving Mainland inbound tour groups to stagger arrival times as far as possible. The TIA will co-ordinate with relevant agencies such as tourist spots operators to adopt appropriate diversion measures to enable proper management of visitor flows and tour buses, with a view to offering visitors a pleasant travel experience. Major tourist spot operators have also formulated special arrangements to handle the estimated increase in people flows. The Hong Kong community is expected to become more vibrant due to the visitor influx during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, bringing opportunities to various sectors. District offices will also closely monitor the flow of visitors within their respective districts and notify relevant departments having regard to the actual circumstances with a view to strengthening management of the relevant spots.
Co-ordinate control points, traffic and public transport facilities
Relevant departments have minimised leave for frontline officers to enable flexible deployment of manpower and the operation of additional counters, temporary counters and channels, with a view to diverting passenger and vehicular flows. The Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by the Police, the ImmD, the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), and other relevant departments will be activated from October 1 (Thursday) to October 7 (Wednesday) to monitor the real-time situations at various control points. The Joint Command Centre will maintain close liaison with the Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanism, and take timely contingency actions as necessary to flexibly deploy manpower at BCPs to ensure smooth operation of the land control points. The Security Bureau (SB) will activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland to closely monitor and co-ordinate the public order situation at various BCPs and facilitate interdepartmental follow-up actions where necessary to respond promptly to various kinds of emergencies.
For public transport arrangements, the Transport Department (TD) has approached various public transport operators proactively to enhance their capacity, and reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of passengers during peak periods. Among them, the MTR Corporation Limited will enhance the service of various railway lines (including the East Rail Line connecting the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Points) at different periods from September 30 (Wednesday) to October 7 (Wednesday) for the convenience of residents and visitors. The TD has also co-ordinated with relevant operators to enhance transportation services connecting various BCPs, including increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (i.e. Gold Bus and Yellow Bus) during peak hours to about one minute and two minutes respectively at their highest frequencies, as well as increasing the quota of cross-boundary coaches to strengthen services. The TD has also formulated contingency plans with frontline border control authorities to implement special traffic control measures at the HZMB Port, the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang port and the Shenzhen Bay Port as necessary, including providing a dedicated passage for public transport vehicles to ensure smooth public transport services.
The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre of the TD will operate 24 hours a day at an escalated tier during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services in all districts (including tourist hotspots), BCPs, and major stations across Hong Kong, and take prompt measures to address service demands and disseminate the latest traffic updates through various channels.
Protection of visitors
The Government adopts a zero-tolerance stance towards coerced shopping and will take stringent action against any violations. Travel agents and tourist guides are obliged to ensure the safety and interests of visitors joining inbound tour groups, including protecting them from malpractices such as coerced shopping. The Government urges visitors to patronise licensed travel agents and call the TIA's hotline (3698 5900) to report incidents or contact the Police for assistance if they encounter improper treatment. The TIA will also conduct inspections in districts where relatively more registered shops for inbound tour groups are located, and offer assistance to visitors and tourist guides to protect inbound tour group visitors' rights. Additionally, the Police will continue to step up publicity, education and enforcement actions against the illegal acts of taxi drivers including overcharging and refusing hires. The TD will also step up publicity and education, urging taxi drivers to maintain good service attitudes and proactively assist passengers. The C&ED will step up enforcement and inspection of shops serving visitors to combat unfair trade practices.
To ensure smooth traffic flows in tourist areas such as the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront, the Peak and various BCPs, the Police will step up enforcement actions against offences causing traffic congestion. Illegally parked vehicles that cause serious obstructions or pose an immediate danger will be ticketed and towed away immediately without prior warning.
Management of country parks
In view of the anticipated large number of visitors to the East Dam of High Island Reservoir and campsites such as Ham Tin Wan during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, the Government will enhance management through interdepartmental collaboration. The Police will deploy uniformed officers at strategic locations at Pak Tam Chung, Man Yee Road and East Dam for traffic control during peak visitor arrival and departure periods. The TD has co-ordinated wth the green minibus (GMB) operator to enhance the service of GMB Route No. 9A (Pak Tam Chung - East Dam of High Island Reservoir) subject to passenger demand. Furthermore, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will disseminate visitor flow information in the East Dam area via its "Enjoy Hiking" website to assist visitors in better planning their trips. The AFCD will continue the online real-name reservation trial arrangement for the Po Pin Chau section at the East Dam of High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung throughout the period of the Mainland's National Day Golden Week and implement crowd control measures at the Po Pin Chau section and viewing platform.
For campsites such as Ham Tin Wan, Sai Wan and Long Ke Wan in Sai Kung, the AFCD will deploy additional staff to be stationed there, conduct day and night patrols, and will carry out immediate enforcement action upon detection of violations. A CCTV system will also be used to assist in monitoring the situation at the campsites. AFCD officers will step up on-site publicity to visitors on safe hiking, caring for the environment and animals and plants, maintaining cleanliness, observing camping etiquette and behaviour etc , and will enhance cleaning work around campsites such as Ham Tin Wan. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will also enhance cleaning services at the Ham Tin public toilet. At the same time, the FEHD is constructing an extension to the Ham Tin public toilet to provide additional cubicles and washing facilities, which are expected to be put into service during the Golden Week.
Weather forecast
A tropical cyclone is expected to edge towards the vicinity of the Luzon Strait and the seas east of Taiwan over the weekend and early next week. However, its subsequent movement remains uncertain with the longer forecast lead time. Meanwhile, a surge of the northeast monsoon will affect southern China in the later part of next week and there will be a few showers over Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) will provide relevant weather information as early as possible. Travellers are advised to check the HKO's nine-day weather forecast and the latest weather information, including special weather tips and weather warnings, before travelling.
Information dissemination
To assist visitors in planning their itineraries, the Government will strengthen information dissemination including the latest inbound visitor arrivals, the situation at various BCPs, information on events, transport arrangements, latest weather information, etc, to enable residents and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board will launch a dedicated webpage at its one-stop travel information platform "Discover Hong Kong", which consolidates useful information during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The webpage includes information about different celebrations, as well as the opening hours and waiting times of major attractions, public transportation and boundary-crossing services to enable residents and visitors to plan their itineraries more conveniently.
Residents and visitors may visit "Easy Boundary" (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/bwt/status.html?type=outbound), a one-stop information platform on immigration clearance launched by the SB, to obtain useful information in one go, including the respective average waiting time for passengers and private cars at land BCPs, as well as for the HZMB cross-boundary shuttle bus and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus, to plan their trips and save waiting time.
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (September 23) chairs a meeting of the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements to holistically co-ordinate and steer the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki (centre), today (September 23) chairs a meeting of the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements to holistically co-ordinate and steer the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
