ENG-2006 — Page 373

Travel and Tourism | 305

international visitors attended such events in Hong Kong in 2006. To encourage international groups to choose Hong Kong for their meetings, the HKTB launched a worldwide convention programme called 'Hong Kong Meeting Your Choice', offering special privileges to convention organisers.

Cruise Travel

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Cruise travel is another important, high-yield sector of the tourism industry. Hong Kong is a popular port for international cruise vessels.

More than 411 000 cruise travellers visited Hong Kong in 2006, a rise of 26.9 per cent over 2005. The number of cruise ships that called at Hong Kong in 2006 was 44, a 45 per cent increase over the previous year. They included three calls from a mega cruise vessel, each of which carried more than 2 600 passengers and 1 100 crew members.

The Government announced in October 2006 the development of a new cruise. terminal at the tip of the former Kai Tak runway, with the first berth to be commissioned by 2012.

Protection for Travellers

Travel agents providing services to inbound and outbound travellers regulated by the Travel Agents Ordinance. The aim of the ordinance is to minimise the occurrence of fraud and loss to travellers in the event of defaults by outbound travel agents, and to protect the interests of visitors by enhancing the service. standards of inbound travel agents. The scheme's two principal elements are: a licensing system and a regulatory mechanism operated by the trade.

The licensing function is performed by the Registrar of Travel Agents appointed by the Government. All travel agents providing outbound or inbound services must be licensed under the ordinance. At year-end, the number of licensed travel agents totalled 1 433.

The trade's regulatory function is performed by the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC), an approved organisation under the ordinance. Travel agents must be members of the TIC to obtain and hold a licence. The TIC sets and enforces codes of conduct and issues directives to ensure proper practices. It also handles complaints from the public. Member travel agents which breach the council's rules are subject to disciplinary action.

A Travel Industry Compensation Fund (TICF) has been set up under the ordinance to provide ex gratia payments of up to 90 per cent of the loss of tour fares to outbound travellers in the event of a default by an outbound travel agent. There were three default cases during the year which affected about 444 travellers involving ex gratia payment of about $850,000.

The TICF also provides urgent financial assistance to outbound travellers injured or killed in accidents in the course of an activity arranged or organised by a Hong Kong travel agent. There were seven such accidents reported in 2006. The victims were paid about $110,000.