Seminars on Combating Trade Malpractice |
Governing Council Member, Mr Brian Li Tze Leung (first left) spoke
on the seminar on "Combating Trade Malpractice"
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Two seminars dealing with the combating of trade malpractice were organised by the Yau Tsim Mong District's Fight Crime Committee, and supported by BBTS. Targeting the improvement of trade ethics, the seminars were held at the Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui Culture & Arts Associations on 14 November and 18 December 2000 respectively. The Hon. Mrs Selina Chow, JP, Chairman of the HKTA (now known as the Hong Kong Tourism Board, HKTB) and Honourable Adviser to the Association, together with Mr Winston Chow, Vice-Chairman of BBTS, and the event's guest speakers, attended the seminar.
Two of the Association's Governing Council members also spoke. Mr Brian Li Tze Leung, representing the Association's Home Electronics and Decorative category, dealt with business practices in audio-visual companies. Mr Yu Choy-chun, BBTS representative for Department Stores & General Merchandise, spoke on the business practices of Chinese health & tonic food companies. |
BBTS' standpoint on implementation of Sales Tax |
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BBTS was invited by the Finance Bureau to meet the IMF Mission on 10 November 2000 |
In November 2000, International Monetary Fund (IMF) specialists were invited by the HKSAR Government to advise on the implications of introducing a Sales Tax. BBTS was invited by the Finance Bureau to meet the IMF Mission on 10 November 2000. Prior to the meeting, BBTS sent out a questionnaire to all members in order to establish a mandate regarding the Association's position on a Sales Tax for Hong Kong. More than 100 replies were received within one week. Respondents were unanimously opposed to Sales Tax implementation.
At the meeting the Association's Governing Council members reiterated the BBTS position of being 'totally against Sales Tax'. Members emphasised that the introduction of a Sales Tax on consumer goods and services would cause immeasurable damage to the reputation of Hong Kong as a 'shopping paradise'. It would certainly 'drive the nail into the coffin' for the retail and restaurant sectors by making purchases more costly to the consumer. It was also stated that not only would a Sales Tax cause a loss of revenue to business operators by deterring customers, but that it would further burden businesses by adding to administrative costs.
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BBTS Representation on Strategy Groups, Task Forces and Industry Meetings |
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In order to ensure the representation of member concerns and the protection of member interests, the BBTS Chairman, Vice Chairman and a number of Governing Council members have put significant time and effort into participating in a range of Industry related bodies and meetings. These include the Tourism Strategy Group, the Visitors Complaints Task Force, and the Hong Kong Award for Services in the Tourism Services category.
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Tourism Strategy Group |
Our Chairman, Mr. Frank Lee, and a number of other Governing Council members were involved in the Tourism Strategy Group meeting of the Tourism Commission. The major events and projects focussed on in 2000 were as follows:
- Tourist Attractions & Facilities - their identification, maintenance and development
- Pride of Hong Kong - Tsimshatsui Promenade Beautification
- Hong Kong Tourism - Expanding the Horizons
- Hong Kong's Euro Christmas
- The Promotion of Hospitality Culture within the Tourism Industry
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Visitors' Complaints Task Force |
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During 2000, our Governing Council appointed member Mr Dick Kaufman who is also our representative at HKTB held the post of Chairman on the Task Force dealing with both the visitors' complaints handling mechanism and the review of consumer protection legislation for visitors.
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The Task Force reviewed the existing mechanism for visitors' complaint handling and prepared a base paper titled 'The need to strengthen Consumer Protection Legislation for Visitors'. This paper reviewed and consolidated visitor complaints in order to identify areas of need in the development of further consumer protection legislation.
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Hong Kong Award for Services - Tourism Services |
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Every year the Awards for Services scheme plays an important role throughout the Hong Kong retail and services industry by encouraging service providers to strive for excellence. The Tourism Services category of the Awards was organised by the HKTB, and our Chairman Mr Frank Lee participated on the judging panel for the coveted 2000 award. The Tourism Services Award serves to give public recognition to those organisations and companies that provide outstanding services specifically within the Hong Kong tourism industry. BBTS members have always supported it enthusiastically. The Association was particularly pleased that its members, Ocean Park, won the Grand Award of 2000 Hong Kong Award for Services: Tourism Services, and Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co Ltd and the Jumbo Floating Restaurant were placed at the very top of the list of Winners of the Hong Kong Tourist Association Tourism Services Award.
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2000 Hong Kong Awards for Services presentation ceremony
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Jumbo Floating Restaurant (BBTS Member) won the 2000 Hong Kong Tourist Association Tourism Services Award
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Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co Ltd (BBTS Member) won the 2000 Hong Kong Tourist Association Tourism Services Award
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Ocean Park (BBTS Member), won the Grand Award of 2000 Hong Kong Award for Services: Tourism Services.
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2000 Legislative Council Elections |
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In the 2000 Legislative Council Election held in early September The Hon. Mrs Selina Chow, JP, who is Honorary Adviser to the Governing Council of the Association, was again re-elected in the Functional Constituency of Wholesale and Retail. Mr Tommy Cheung, Adviser to the BBTS Governing Council, was elected in the Catering Constituency. They have both contributed significantly to the development of the Association over the past years, and BBTS looks forward to their continued support in future.
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