Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (December 31) the launch of the Anti-rodent Charter (the Charter) for residential buildings and related commercial units to promote residents’ awareness of environmental hygiene and encourage them to cultivate good habits with a view to working together for the target of a rodent-free environment. The department invites property management companies, owners’ corporations, residents’ organisations of private residential premises, the Hong Kong Housing Society, transitional housing, subsidised sales flats and Tenants Purchase Scheme estates to sign the Charter.
      
     Premises participating in the Charter will undertake to assign anti-rodent liaison ambassadors to co-ordinate anti-rodent efforts. These ambassadors will carry out regular inspections, arrange necessary repairs and maintenance of facilities, and ensure proper cleaning and refuse removal at the housing estates or buildings. Besides implementing anti-rodent measures, participants have to supervise the quality and performance of the hired anti-rodent service contractors and maintain relevant records of anti-rodent work. They are also responsible for conveying anti-rodent messages to residents through promotion and education, encouraging residents to cultivate good habits in personal hygiene and maintain a clean environment.
      
     Participants will receive free anti-rodent technical support from the FEHD, including invitations to attend pest control seminars organised by the FEHD. Additionally, the FEHD will present Charter certificates and stickers to participants and publish a list of participating organisations and premises on a dedicated webpage in recognition of their efforts.
      
     The spokesman highlighted that the department is considering extending the Charter to other sectors in due course, based on the experience of the first phase of the Anti-rodent Charter, with a view to collaborating on the creation of a more livable environment.

     Details of the Charter have been uploaded to the FEHD’s Anti-rodent Charter Website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/pestcontrol/anti_rodent_charter.html).
      
     The spokesman emphasised that effective rodent prevention and control hinges on the co-operation of government departments, relevant sectors, stakeholders, as well as members of the public to bolster anti-rodent efforts in their respective areas. Members of the public should maintain good environmental hygiene and eliminate the three fundamental survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourage and passages, i.e. the elimination of the food sources and hiding places of rodents as well as blockage of their dispersal routes. read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

     The fire danger situation today (December 31) is red and fire risk is extreme. The countryside is extremely vulnerable to fire. If you are planning to spend the day in the countryside, please take pre-cooked food for a picnic and take all measures to prevent hill fires. The penalty for lighting fires illegally in the countryside is $25,000 and a year’s imprisonment.
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     Concerning the incident regarding the suspected short-term non-compliance of the total organic carbon (TOC) from certain T·PARK’s flue stacks during the period from last October to this July, as compared with the emission standards set out in the contract, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (December 30) announced the investigation findings.

     The investigation revealed that, at the same time when the monitoring data of TOC collected from the operating flue stack exceeded the emission limits set out in the contract, TOC was also detected from the air inside the other non-operating flue stacks in the facility. Since the monitoring of organic carbon requires utilization of air from the surrounding environment in order to assist combustion, scientifically the monitoring data need to be corrected according to the organic carbon concentration in the ambient air before they can be compared with the standards. With the above correction, it is confirmed that the actual data of TOC from the operation of T·PARK had not exceeded the emission limit under the contract.

     TOC generally refers to the total amount of carbon in all organic compounds. Vegetation, vehicles, paints, cooking and industrial activities, etc are common sources of TOC in the ambient air. TOC is not a parameter under the statutory Air Quality Objectives, in order to ensuring proper operation of the facility, the contract between the EPD and the contractor of T·PARK has set emission standards for TOC, and conduct continuous monitoring. During the period from last October to this July, there were a few occasions of suspected short-term non-compliance of TOC emission standards under the contract from certain T·PARK’s flue stacks. As the contractor had different views on whether the emission of TOC from the facility had violated the contract provisions, the EPD had to conduct investigation into the incident.

     As the relevant investigation has been completed, the EPD has reuploaded the environmental monitoring reports for the period from last October to this October to the website www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/data/data_stf.html read more

     Hong Kong Customs on December 27 and 28 detected two cases involving possession of etomidate (the main ingredient of “space oil drug”), a kind of Part 1 poison under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, by passengers at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point and the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point. A total of four suspected “space oil drug” capsules were seized.
      
     The first case involved a local female passenger, aged 17, who departed for the Mainland via the Lok Ma Chau Control Point on December 27. During customs clearance, one suspected “space oil drug” capsule and a related inhaling device were found in her handbag. The woman was subsequently arrested.
      
     The second case involved a 32-year-old local male passenger. The man went to the Mainland via the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point on December 28. During customs clearance, three suspected “space oil drug” capsules were found concealed in a specially sewn pocket on the jeans he was wearing. He was then arrested.
      
     The two arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation. Investigations are ongoing.
      
     Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, any person who possesses any poison included in Part 1 of the Poisons List other than in accordance with provisions commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour report hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

    

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, promulgated the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0 (Blueprint 2.0) today (December 30).

     Miss Law said, “Blueprint 2.0 has three key messages. The first is that Hong Kong is an international tourist city with the advantage of being backed by the motherland. We must make good use of the Central Government’s policies that benefit Hong Kong to promote the all-round development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry. Second, everyone can contribute to the development of tourism in Hong Kong. Apart from the Government’s policy support and promotion, all sectors must keep a finger on the pulse of the market and seize opportunities to identify, respond to and steer changes. If all Hong Kong citizens work together, we can provide visitors with the highest quality hospitality and services by putting customers first and serving them with sincerity, so that visitors will come back time and again. Third, Hong Kong has obvious traditional tourism advantages, including world-class tourist attractions, cuisine, urban management and transport systems. We must continue to strengthen these advantages and optimise our hardware facilities. At the same time, we must also explore new tourism resources, including injecting momentum and freshness into the city through soft power such as mega events and festivals, to enhance the ambiance of the tourist city to attract tourists from all over the world and create a home-away-from-home travel experience for them.”

     Blueprint 2.0 proposes a forward-looking and pragmatic vision and mission for Hong Kong’s tourism industry, proposing four positions, four development strategies and 133 measures. The four positions of Hong Kong’s tourism industry include (i) reinforcing the role of an international tourism hub and a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism; (ii) highlighting the unique elements of Hong Kong’s local cultural characteristics that are irreplaceable and unrepeatable and making good use of its positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, with a view to achieving “shaping tourism with cultural activities and promoting culture through tourism”; (iii) upholding Hong Kong’s positioning as a city with high-quality tourism experiences; and (iv) stressing the importance of quality over quantity in development to build Hong Kong into a demonstration point for sustainable tourism. The four development strategies include:   

Strategy 1: Nurture and develop tourism products – To nurture and develop tourism products and initiatives with local and international characteristics

     Covering 46 measures. This strategy focuses on promoting the in-depth integration of tourism with four areas, namely culture, sports, ecology and mega events, in which Hong Kong possesses world-class resources that have yet to be fully presented to global visitors. It aims to craft a series of distinctive and attractive tourism products and projects to attract global visitors to explore in-depth Hong Kong’s rich and diversified unique tourism resources, with a view to enhancing Hong Kong’s attractiveness as a world-class premier tourism destination.

Strategy 2: Visitors from all parts of the world gather in Hong Kong – To develop a diversified portfolio of visitor source markets for Hong Kong, with a focus on attracting high value-added overnight visitors

     Covering 37 measures. This strategy adopts two key dimensions: developing potential source markets while consolidating existing core markets, and rolling out promotions targeting the characteristics of specific segments to encourage more meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions visitors and cruise passengers to visit Hong Kong. It also aims to expand silver-haired, family, study tour and youth source markets for attracting high-value added visitors.

Strategy 3: Intelligent and convenient travel to Hong Kong – To promote smart tourism

     Covering 19 measures. Directions include facilitating and enhancing visitors’ experiences and improving the competitiveness of the industry. Through the use of modern information technology such as electronic platforms, big data and artificial intelligence, Hong Kong will further enhance the smart level of tourism services and add smart elements to tourist attractions to provide visitors with a more convenient, efficient and user-friendly travel experience.

Strategy 4: Quality services for visitors – To enhance the service quality and support of the tourism industry on all fronts and to cultivate talent

     Covering 31 measures. Hong Kong has positioned itself as a destination providing high-quality tourism experiences. Quality service is essential in welcoming visitors. This strategy aims to attract talent, nurture professionals, enhance service quality and improve hardware support. 

     Miss Law said, “We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the travel trade for putting forward a lot of invaluable opinions throughout the whole process of outlining Blueprint 2.0. The tourism industry involves various sections of services, and the all-round industry development depends on the support and participation of the entire community. We call for establishing awareness that ‘Everyone is a tourism ambassador’ among all citizens who will be able to receive every visitor with enthusiasm and friendliness and spread the positive energy and image of Hong Kong to cultivate a harmonious, cohesive and vibrant tourism atmosphere together. The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) will continue to lead the travel trade in enhancing Hong Kong’s tourism competitiveness in all aspects, reinvigorate Hong Kong’s tourism industry, and jointly contribute to the healthy and prosperous development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry.”

     The full text of Blueprint 2.0 has been uploaded to the website of the CSTB (www.cstb.gov.hk/en/).

     The 2023 Policy Address announced that the CSTB will promulgate Blueprint 2.0 in 2024. Since April this year, the CSTB, together with research team Our Hong Kong Foundation, has conducted trade consultation for around two months and received over 1 000 suggestions from over 110 trade organisations in 27 physical consultation sessions. It has also analysed the strengths, development limitations, challenges and opportunities of Hong Kong’s tourism industry, as well as the tourism development plans of neighbouring regions in formulating Blueprint 2.0.