Tourism Board payouts criticised as unmerited
Former Tourism Board executive director Clara Chong Ming-wah and some senior staff came under fire yesterday for receiving performance-based pay increments despite failing to meet performance indicators.
The criticism was made at a Public Accounts Committee hearing at which Tourism Board chairman James Tien Pei-chun said he expected that a new method of evaluating staff performance would be endorsed in March.
Civic Party lawmaker Mandy Tam Heung-man told the hearing she doubted the board took performance indicators into consideration when deciding the variable pay received by Ms Chong.
'She still received 60 per cent of the variable pay despite failing to meet most of the performance indicators in 2006-07. How come a failed performance record was accompanied with additional pay?' Ms Tam asked.
The board's former chairwoman Selina Chow Liang Shuk-yee said that while Ms Chong's performance failed to meet some indicators, she had not been given the full variable pay but merely 60 per cent.
According to the board's regulations, Mrs Chow said, 15 per cent of the salary received by both the executive director and senior staff was variable pay, which was based on the staff's annual performance.
The board's managerial staff was also criticised for receiving full variable pay despite unsatisfactory performance.
Despite two performance indicators not being met in 2004-05 - consumption per head and tourists' duration of stay - Ms Chong said managerial staff still obtained full variable pay as the indicators were affected by 'external factors', in this case, the mainland's Individual Visit Scheme, which brought in short-visit tourists.
Mr Tien admitted that external factors such as the strong euro might affect performance indicators.
