Council Bulletin 議會簡報

Council Bulletin 議會簡報 Mr Tony Chong, a director of View Win Travel Limited, was elected to the Board at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 24 November 2014. He serves on the TIC’s Public Relations and Publication Commit- tees for the current year. Mr Chong stood for election because he wished to serve the trade. He was indebted to his fellow traders for their trust and support, and would listen to their opinions and fight for their interests. As the six- month refund period under the full refund protection scheme for mainland tour groups was considered too long by many members, he would bring up the matter with the Board and propose to conduct a review. With regard to the reform of the regulatory framework of the tourism sector, Mr Chong remarked that although the ideal model was to have a single tourism bureau oversee regulation and promotion, to have a statutory body responsible for regulating travel agents in the future was also not bad, for there would be no need for agents to pay subscriptions to the TIC and its Association Members. He always gave full support to the TIC and hoped that in the future it would perform the functions of a trade association by protecting and fighting for trade benefits and pro- moting the healthy development of the industry in the long run. Mr Charlie Foo, Managing Director of A.C.T. Travel Company Limited and Chairman of the International Chinese Tourist Association (ICTA), began to serve on the TIC Board on 25 November 2014 as representative of ICTA. He was an elected director of the TIC from 2010 to 2012, and currently serves on its Membership and Public Relations Committees. Mr Foo commented that when the Travel Industry Authority (TIA) was in place, travel agents could apply for a licence without first hav- ing to join the TIC and its Association Members, thereby simplifying the regulatory framework and saving the cost of travel agents. Worries about changes in the regulatory system were, according to him, unnec- essary if traders stayed away from unscrupulous practices. He believed that the TIC would have the backing of members if it continued to strive after the interests of the industry. Mr Foo pointed out that information and communications technology was now so widely used that travel agents had to directly com- pete with airlines and travel websites, with the result that their profits kept shrinking. To survive this irreversible trend, travel agents must provide quality after-sales service and retain their customers through word of mouth. 9 The Voice of TIC No.1 / 2015 議會簡報 Council Bulletin Mrs Gianna Hsu, a director and General Manager of Towa Tours Limited, joined the TIC Board on 25 November 2014 in her capacity as Chairman of the Hongkong Japanese Tour Operators Association (HJTOA). She is currently Convenor of the Outbound Committee, Dep- uty Convenor of the Constitution/By-law Committee, and a member of the Consumer Relations, Electoral Affairs and Governance Committees. Mrs Hsu had been TIC Deputy Chairman for over 10 years. When asked about the transfer of regulatory functions from the TIC to the TIA, she considered that the TIA would be better positioned than the TIC to regulate the trade because it was a statutory body but the TIC, being not a law enforcement agency, had difficulty performing its duties on occa- sion. In view of the impact to be brought about by the new regulatory regime, she pledged to do her best to put forward the trade’s opinions to the Government in a bid to ensure that the industry would keep grow- ing in a healthy way. Mrs Hsu pointed out that although the future TIC would diminish in importance, it would continue to play a key role because the industry would need such a long-established leader to unite its traders and communicate with other sectors. Mr Leo Li is Managing Director of Xiamen Air Holidays Limited. He became representative of the Hongkong Taiwan Tourist Operators As- sociation (TTOA) on the TIC Board on 25 November 2014, and currently serves on the Mainland China Inbound Tour Affairs Committee and the Membership Committee. Mr Li told The Voice that he joined the Board because he wished to take up TTOA members’ views with it. With both inbound and outbound tourism affected by the recent social movement, he would work with other directors to help members explore new business opportuni- ties. As the regulatory mechanism would soon be reformed, he believed that the TIC should become a representative trade association in the future, strive to bring unity to the trade and upgrade its service quality. The TIC should also provide SME travel agents with greater support, protect trade interests and closely communicate with the new regulatory body. Commenting on the measures to regulate mainland inbound tours, Mr Li considered them to be consistently effective, and stressed the importance of formulating them in a just and fair manner, for no system was perfect and the views of travel agents varied. 10 議會季刊二零一五年第一期 Council Bulletin 議會簡報 Mr Martin Ma, General Manager of Tour Bank (HK) Travel Limited, is a veteran of the trade. He was elected to the Board at last year’s AGM, and is now Honorary Treasurer of the TIC, Deputy Convenor of its Tourist Guide and Tour Escort Deliberation Committee, and a member of its Compliance, Governance, and Staff and Finance Committees. Eager to serve the trade and familiar with its operation, Mr Ma is currently an Honorary President of ICTA, and was once its Chair- man, Vice Chairman, Honorary Secretary and an executive committee member. Mr Ma joined the TIC Board as representative of ICTA in 2011, and was Deputy Convenor and a member of the Public Relations Committee. After his election to the Board last year, he stated that he would continue to act as a bridge between traders and the TIC, and bring up the views and difficulties of the trade with the TIC so that both sides could have better communication and stick together to make preparations for future changes. Mr Ng Hi On, a director of CTS International Science-Technology and Culture Exchange Co Ltd, was re-elected to the Board at last year’s AGM. He is currently Convenor of the Public Relations Committee, Deputy Convenor of the Compliance Committee and a member of the Governance Committee. Mr Ng believed that the TIC had to transform itself and determine its future direction as the Government was going to set up the TIA, and he was willing to offer his help in that respect. He hoped that the TIC would closely liaise with the Tourism Commission for more resources so as to support the trade and help solve its problems. Talking about the outlook for travel agents, Mr Ng pointed out that many suppliers had long begun to market and sell their products directly to customers, and the travellers were well-informed about all kinds of travel information thanks to the all-encompassing Internet. That was why travel agents found it so difficult to do business. He therefore believed that selling products to customers face-to-face, as travel agents used to do, was no longer enough now. They should instead learn to be more IT savvy so as to meet the needs of their customers. Furthermore, he hoped that all traders could be united to work harmoniously for the industry. 11 The Voice of TIC No.1 / 2015 議會簡報 Council Bulletin Mr Warren Tong, Managing Director of Mount Travel Limited and Chair- man of The Federation of Hong Kong Chinese Travel Agents (FHCTA), continues to serve on the TIC Board as the FHCTA’s representative for the current year. He is now Convenor of the Membership Committee, and a member of the Committee on Shopping-related Practices, the Constitution/By-law Committee, the Electoral Affairs Committee and the Governance Committee. Mr Tong remarked that at this critical moment when the TIA was about to be established, he would make the industry’s voice heard by the Government, and assist the TIC in deciding its future role and direction with his many years of trade experience. Whereas he under- stood that the current business environment was very difficult for travel agents, he hoped that they could hang together to avoid vicious compe- tition and create a favourable business environment. Regarding the new Tourism Commissioner Ms Cathy Chu, Mr Tong believed that she would make an excellent commissioner since she was a very experienced government officials and willing to listen to the trade’s opinions. Mr Simon Wo is General Manager of Premium Holidays Limited. A can- didate in the Directors’ Election in 2013, he was appointed to the Board on 9 December 2014 to fill the vacancy left by an elected director, the late Mr Stephen Chan. He is now a member of the Compliance Committee and the Outbound Committee. After joining the Board, Mr Wo wished, in the run-up to the estab- lishment of the TIA, to have more talks with the Government, draw its attention to the industry’s concerns and work out how the TIC and the TIA should cooperate in the future. If the Board was to come up with a new proposal concerning the future role of the TIC, he believed that the proposal had to be for the maximum benefit of the trade, and that the TIC should try to win over members by working harder this time to explain how it would benefit them.

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