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624
HONG KONG PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
In the long term, I hope the Council will examine the relationship between its functions in providing cultural, sport, entertainment facilities and activities, and the development of the local tourist industry.
In the immediate and short terms, I hope some improvements will be made to improve our cooperation with the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) with a view to increasing the Council's revenue and promoting the development of the tourist industry.
Mr. Chairman, The Urban Council Ordinance has assigned us the major responsibility of providing urban cultural, entertainment and sport facilities. Although we are only tasked with the provision of urban facilities, there are a lot of facilities which are central in nature, such as the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the City Hall, the Hong Kong Coliseum, all the museums and the Hong Kong Stadium. These are all very important central facilities of Hong Kong. We are playing a dual role, because in planning urban cultural, sport and entertainment facilities, we have to assume an overall function, taking heed of the cultural development of the entire territory both domestically and internationally.
In terms of international protocol, the Urban Council occupies a position similar to that of an overseas municipal council. In fact, both in terms of international protocol and in real terms, the Urban Council is similar to an overseas municipal council. Our Chairman frequently receives visiting organizations. For example, overseas mayor delegations are received by our Chairman. Of course, when we visit abroad, the Chairman of the Council plays the role of the leader of a municipal council and is received as an international guest.
I therefore have the vision that we are in fact playing a very significant role in the overall development of the territory. We can examine our role in providing major cultural, sport and entertainment facilities to take into account the needs of the public as well as those of the visitors to Hong Kong. We should position ourselves in our policy direction.
I brought up at the Annual Convention Debate that with her background as the meeting point of the East and West cultures and geographical advantage, Hong Kong has excellent conditions to become the cultural and sport centre in Asia and a more attractive tourist spot. Major cultural facilities are essential to each and every city because apart from benefiting its people, they enrich its cultural temperament. As for Hong Kong, they provide entertainment and relaxation and are conducive to upgrading her international image. A lot of cities attach importance to cultural facilities. A small city in Spain called Bilbao has just opened a museum of the international level, the Guggenheim Museum, which is equipped with hardware and software of international standards. In a short span of nine months, nearly 1m visitors have been attracted to this rarely visited small city in Spain. This demonstrates clearly the inter-relationship between cultural facilities and tourism.
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