How can Hong Kong's tourism image be improved? I have long believed the tourism industry would benefit through promoting Hong Kong's astonishing diversity. We don't need to spend millions of dollars on dodgy concrete 'attractions' like the ersatz village thing at Ngong Ping or the Wetland Park. Instead, Hong Kong has potential tourism destinations ranging from small but fascinating islands, through traditional south China villages and country parks with hills, forests and waterfalls, to densely packed city streets, soaring skyscrapers and a multitude of bars and restaurants. True, the Tourism Board does a little promotion of this variety - including through a booklet I helped write and photograph: Discover Hong Kong Nature. But in addition to promotions, we also need an environment in which tourism showcasing Hong Kong's variety has a chance to flourish. This is sadly lacking. Anyone wanting to run small-scale tours encounters regulations that were geared towards eliminating issues with full-blown travel agents - yet have failed to solve problems such as tours centred on garnering commission from restaurants, stores and factory outlets that hapless visitors are herded around. Surely it would be possible to allow people to operate as Specialised Tourist Guides, rather as in Singapore, so they, too, can be promoted, and can share their expertise and enthusiasm with visitors whose interests range wider than The Peak and Causeway Bay. Then, there are several small rural hostels offering accommodation in magnificent areas, yet as I understand it they are hampered from being promoted to tourists because of licensing regulations that primarily focus on city hotels and hostels. Here, too, there would seem to be scope for flexibility: fire safety standards surely don't have to be as stringent for a two-storey village house as for a high-rise hotel. Such issues are known to our tourism industry's powers that be, and I find it hard to fathom why they have not been fixed. I can only guess the reasons are bureaucratic indifference and indolence. Yet, I retain a perhaps foolishly optimistic hope that, some day, Hong Kong will be promoted not as merely a city of some sort, but as (for instance) Hong Kong: a Many-Splendoured Place. Martin Williams, Cheung Chau Should property developers be subjected to stricter rules? It is depressing and far from surprising to read that the government is still bowing cravenly to the demands of the property developers ('Housing chief attacked over flat pricing move,' April 3). How can it be that our major economy and highly modernised society continue to trade property on the basis of practices that verge on the fraudulent? Why is it that the mainland, Thailand and many other better-regulated countries can sell property honestly, measured on net footage rather than on the truly gross system still in effect here? Surely this is one issue on which the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong could and should take the lead in pressuring the government to show that it really is not stuck in the vested pockets of the property developers? Barry Girling, Tung Chung What do you think of the WWF's fish guide? The law prohibits the use of cellphones while driving, but so many drivers ignore this law and there is hardly any prosecution of such offenders. The law prohibits dynamite fishing, yet it is happening every day - and when was the last time we heard of a prosecution? With laws being ignored, how much benefit is a 'guide' to the right fish to eat? To me, the fate of the humphead wrasse is doomed. The magnificent scene of two humphead wrasse I saw while diving more than 10 years ago will remain just a beautiful memory. Philip Chan Dick Sang, Mid-Levels How can animal welfare be improved? The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has been promoting responsible pet ownership for many years. Some owners are more responsible than others. Being an owner of a large dog, I am fully aware of my responsibility - not letting him off the leash in public premises, except when he is walking in country parks or swimming in the sea, and to make sure I always clean up after him. To enjoy the least freedom he is allowed, I took him to Tai Tam Country Park during the long weekend, where he can walk freely and play with other four-legged pals. Sadly, the walk turned sour when the usual 'doggie play' was said to be a dog fight, endangering the safety of children. A father asked me to leash my dog and called the police. None of the other large pedigree dogs scared the father, nor did a mongrel led by a western lady. It was just me in my yellow skin and my mongrel dog who posed a threat, I guess. I have no choice but to stand firm and fight for justice for my dog. I can understand that some people have phobias about dogs, and that's why I shall never walk my dog off the leash in town, and if people look worried when I see him, I'll pull him right next to me or take him to the other side of the road. In a country park, when you are standing right in the middle of mother nature, I cannot see how one can be scared getting close to animals. If the law requires fighting and dangerous dogs be leashed, muzzled and to wear special collars, can we ask people who have phobias to wear a cap or a necklace so that we dog owners can respectably walk our dogs away from them? I have no problem standing by responsible pet ownership as the first step to improve animal welfare, but I truly look forward to more education campaigns targeted at non-pet owners, teaching them how to respect all living creatures and live in harmony with each other. Animal welfare can never be improved without embracing non-pet owners. Should the department or other departments be charged with this responsibility? Rebecca Ngan, Causeway Bay
