Ancillary Transport Facilities for New Cruise Terminal (2012/10/24)

MR YIU SI-WING: President, may I ask the Secretary whether the ancillary transport facilities are fully ready to serve visitors returning to the Mainland or Mainland visitors travelling to the cruise terminal in Hong Kong after the commissioning of the cruise terminal?

SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: If Mr YIU referred to promotion, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has in fact been exploring with its Mainland counterparts on how to make visitors spend more time in Hong Kong, apart from making close liaison with the relevant Mainland counterparts on the development of tourist spots. To the cruise passengers, as we all know, it is necessary to provide many tourist attractions and tourist stops at various locations in order to enhance the appeal overall. In this connection, we have always maintained a very close relationship with the relevant Mainland departments.

MR YIU SI-WING: The Secretary has not answered my question. In fact, my question is: Have the authorities considered the transport services from the cruise terminal to the Mainland, and from the Mainland to the cruise terminal?

SECRETARY FOR COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: President, after the commissioning of the cruise terminal, these visitors can come to Hong Kong by land or by plane, like other travellers do. The measures I mentioned just now will facilitate Mainland visitors in coming to visit Hong Kong via other tourist spots, or the development of multi-destination itineraries. As for visitors departing from Hong Kong, which is taken as their home port, they are not different from any other travellers in general.