Hong Kong tourism needs more than a dedicated bureau to regain its lustre

A lack of centralised decision-making and well-organised coordination at the highest levels on tourism is a pressing issue
The measure of reform of the government’s structure should not be whether we have one more or one less bureau, but if the inherent problems can be solved

Timothy ChuiandCasper Wong

Published: 5:15am, 25 Sep, 2021

Why you can trust SCMP

Over the years, the Hong Kong government has on a number of occasions proposed a structural reorganisation in the hope of improving the effectiveness of its governance, with little success.

Given Hong Kong’s new political situation and governance model, the administration could easily obtain Legislative Council support to reorganise its structure. However, would this really bring about good governance?

In recent years, voices in the tourism industry have called for the establishment of a tourism bureau. The goal would be to independently handle tourism affairs and solve the problem of inconsistent or conflicting policies from multiple departments.

Beijing has successfully merged culture and tourism under the governance of one ministry, which seeks to promote everything from sightseeing, eating and shopping to the magnificence of Chinese culture.

It is now crucial to establish our own bureau of culture and tourism to enhance the industry in Hong Kong, which directly employs more than 250,000 people. Hong Kong’s tourism industry would still be in a strong position but for the twin stresses of social unrest and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The partnership between the Tourism Commission, the Travel Industry Council and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, led by the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, has been successful in promoting tourism locally and globally. There is proven, strong leadership among the existing policy bureaus.

However, conflicts arise from other departments. Examples include the Home Affairs Department’s policies on hotels, motels and guest houses and the Transport Department’s policies on management of travel coaches and tourism foot flow.

These departments, which are not under the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, are unfamiliar with the operations of the tourism industry. The lack of centralised decision-making and well-organised coordination on tourism at the highest levels of government is a pressing issue.

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau has 13 economic and trade offices around the world and has been promoting tourism in Hong Kong. The city is gradually stabilising, and the global pandemic will eventually end.

01:48

Hong Kong’s Ocean Park unveils new water theme park attraction

Therefore, it is crucial for the international community to again see Hong Kong in a positive light. If the government’s economic and trade offices around the world are to continue to help promote Hong Kong’s tourism industry, we must pay extra attention to the restructuring process.

First, it is necessary to strengthen coordination within government. There is evidence that high-level centralisation and enhancing cross-departmental cooperation is effective under the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, but it does not extend beyond the bureau.

The central coordination of bureaus and departments rests on the shoulders of the chief secretary. At present, he is in charge of national security matters and spends little time on civil issues.

It is important to find an appropriate official to complete the many delayed efforts aimed at improving Hongkongers’ livelihoods. Otherwise, government restructuring won’t improve efficiency and will only add to the administration’s workload.

Second, real government reorganisation must include genuine accountability for principal officials. It is the only way to regain public support and ensure policies are implemented effectively.

Third, conflicts between accountable officials and civil servants must be dealt with efficiently. To make public officials truly accountable, it is necessary to ensure there is no conflict between their current powers and responsibilities and those of civil servants. For example, the appointment of officials in the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is not decided directly by the bureau secretary but by the respective permanent secretary.

Even if the secretary has his or her own policies, they may not necessarily be fully supported by civil servants and those policies could eventually fail. On the other side, civil servants are consistently waiting for instructions because they are not directly involved in policymaking, so delays in policymaking are inevitable.

The true measure of reform of the government’s structure should not be whether we have one more or one less bureau, but whether the problems inherent in the operation of government can be solved.

Timothy Chui is executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association. Casper Wong is vice-chairperson of the Third Side

Post