TRAVEL AND TOURISM
berthing facility and terminal for international cruise ships, as part of the development of Hong Kong as a major cruise hub; themed leisure and entertainment facilities in the urban area, including a virtual reality attraction; a festival marketplace on the waterfront, providing shopping, leisure and entertainment opportunities, emphasising food, beverage, lifestyle and live performances; and a new 'Peak', offering an additional vantage point of the city and the harbour to ease the increasing pressure on Victoria Peak.
In conjunction with the VISTOUR Study, the HKTA also launched its five-year Spotlight Hong Kong programme in November, focusing international attention on Hong Kong through and beyond 1997. It is an event-marketing umbrella, under which large-scale events with international appeal will be grouped, emphasising the territory's year-round role as the Events Capital of Asia and a vibrant and dynamic place to visit.
Outbound Travel
Some 1 200 travel agents are licensed by the Registrar of Travel Agents under the Travel Agents Ordinance to conduct Hong Kong's outbound travel business. Regulation of the business is undertaken through the mutually complementary work of the Registrar and the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC). A travel agent must be a member of the council before it is licensed. The Registrar is mainly responsible for performing regulatory functions under the ordinance, such as licensing of outbound travel agents; financial and character investigation of licensed travel agents; hearing of appeals and handling of complaints concerning suspected unlicensed travel agents.
The council's major regulatory functions are: improvement of trade practices, enforcement of codes of conduct and directives of the industry; collection of statutory levies; handling of public complaints and enquiries; and establishment of membership criteria and maintenance of membership records. Member travel agents who breach the rules of self-regulation risk losing their TIC membership and the licence to operate.
In response to a recommendation of the Public Accounts Committee of the Legislative Council, a review on the self-regulation of the outbound travel industry was completed in September 1995. The review concluded that the policy objective should be to promote self-regulation of the outbound travel industry as far as possible, and that the existing regulatory regime was functioning effectively and should therefore be retained.
Improvement measures to the existing regulatory regime were identified during the review. Positive actions have been taken to implement the improvement measures to enhance the effectiveness of the regulatory framework. Performance pledges have been set for the Travel Agents Registry and the executive office of the TIC to improve the quality and efficiency of service to the public and licensed travel agents. Substantiated complaints against licensed travel agents will be taken into account by the registry when applications for renewal of licences are considered.
The Travel Industry Compensation Fund (TICF) was set up in 1993 to protect consumers joining outbound package tours. It is managed by an independent board appointed by the Governor and derives its income from investments and fund levies imposed upon licensed travel agents on the basis of the outbound package tour
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