雙語社評齊齊聽

英語 (足本收聽)

普通話 (足本收聽)

【明報專訊】TOURIST ARRIVALS have in recent years gone up and up in Hong Kong. Hotel room rates have soared because hotel accommodation has not increased as fast as tourist arrivals. Some mainland travel agents have even speculated in hotel rooms here. They would give to others the rooms their customers have booked though they have already paid for them unless they pay additional charges. Clearly, Hong Kong's tourist infrastructure does not keep pace with its tourist industry's development. Hong Kong's tourist industry is not only a pillar of its economy. It plays a very special role. It provides large numbers of unskilled workers with jobs. If hotel rooms remain in short supply, it would be a bottleneck in the industry's development - inhibit the growth in tourist arrivals. Therefore, the government must suitably intervene in the situation. For example, it should pick good sites for hotels and put them up for auction as well as take policy measures to encourage businesses to convert industrial buildings into hotels.

英語

近年訪港旅客不斷上升，但由於酒店房間數目追不上旅客增長，不單令房價升，更出現內地代理「炒酒店房」現象，旅客被迫臨時加錢，否則付足房租仍然無房入住，反映香港的旅遊基建未能追上發展的需求。旅遊業在香港經濟扮演特殊角色，它不但貢獻本土經濟，而且肩負起養活大批低技術勞工的使命，若酒店房供不應求的情况持續，便會成為旅遊業發展的樽頸，窒礙旅客增長。所以，政府必須適度介入，包括物色較佳的酒店用地供拍賣，並在政策上配合，鼓勵更多工廈轉為酒店。

普通話

Hotel room rates have gone up mainly because hotel accommodation is very much in demand.Mainland tourists only know that, in Hong Kong, hotel room rates are like "seafood prices", which fluctuate wildly. They do not care whether it is mainland travel agents or Hong Kong hoteliers that fleece tourists. It is Hong Kong's image that suffers. Mainland tourists who are convinced that Hong Kong hotels would fleece their guests may not want to stay overnight in the SAR. They may spend less here than they otherwise would and, as a result, the whole tourist industry would lose out.

英語

房租急升，主因是酒店房間供不應求。對內地旅客而言，他們只知道香港酒店房價如海鮮價般急升，不會理會是內地代理還是香港的酒店「劏客」，最終遭殃的，仍是香港的形象。一旦內地旅客認定香港酒店「劏客」，留港過夜及消費的意欲便會減少，損失的將是香港整體旅遊業。

普通話

As it is mainland travel agents that have speculated in Hong Kong hotel rooms, there is little the SAR government or the Hong Kong Tourism Board can do about it. The only thing they can do is to raise the matter with the mainland departments concerned through official channels and discuss with them how they can jointly deter the malpractice. Nevertheless, it is only a stopgap measure to step up regulation. If hotel rooms are scarce, unscrupulous people would make reckless moves for gain. The long-term solution is to build hotels. Only when hotel room rates come down will black sheep be deterred.

英語

炒賣酒店房租在內地發生，港府難以干預。如今港府與旅發局唯有循官方途徑與內地相關部門商討，共同打擊這些劣行。不過，加強監管只能治標，若房間供不應求，利益當前，始終有人鋌而走險。治本之道是增加酒店房間供應，讓房價回落，才能杜絕害群之馬。

普通話

However well Hong Kong's financial and professional services sectors may thrive, they will never provide 7 million people with jobs. However much financial professionals may make a year and however crazily they may spend their money in the SAR, wealth may not "trickle down" to the lower strata of society. Many consider the financial services sector to be one where value added is high but there are not large numbers of jobs. It is possible to increase Hong Kong's wealth by developing its financial services industry, but not to increase employment or narrow the rich-poor gap in the territory. Therefore, Hong Kong must develop industries that provide large numbers of jobs even though they offer low value added. Tourism is such an industry. People in tourism need little expertise, and their jobs are mostly labour-intensive. The industry provides large numbers of unskilled workers with jobs.

英語

香港的金融及專業服務業再興旺，也不能養活700萬人；即使金融業專才年薪再高，瘋狂地留港消費，也不能有效地把財富「滴漏」至社會底層。金融業被視為「高增值、低就業」行業，單靠金融業，香港可能更富有，但難解決失業和貧富懸殊問題。因此，香港必須同時發展「低增值、高就業」行業，旅遊業是一個很好的選擇。業界所需的知識不高，屬勞動密集型，能養活大批低技術勞工。

普通話

"Overage children" born of Hong Kong parents on the mainland may soon apply for One Way Permits to settle here. It is reckoned that about 20,000 will do so a year. "Overage children" are aged between 25 and 40. In their prime, they may be new blood in Hong Kong's labour market. However, some are worried that, because they may be poorly educated and some of them may be middle-aged, their arrival may increase unemployment and widen the wealth gap here. Their worry is not unfounded. Therefore, the government should do well in advance what would make it easier for them to find work here. One way of doing so is to develop the tourist industry. Let us see how the government will capitalise on the persistent growth in visitor arrivals - which is a favourable factor. Hong Kong must not allow the scarcity of hotel accommodation to become a bottleneck in the growth in tourist arrivals.

英語

港人在內地所生的「超齡子女」將可申請來港定居，估計每年有2萬人，年齡介乎25至40歲，雖然這批「超齡子女」正值壯年，屬勞動市場的生力軍，但不少人擔心他們的學歷不高，部分更步入中年，勢將增加本港就業壓力和加劇貧富懸殊問題。這擔心不無道理，因此政府應該未雨綢繆，為他們尋找工作創造有利條件，而旅遊業正是一個選擇，現在就要看政府如何善用訪港旅客持續激增的有利勢頭，切勿讓酒店房間不足構成遊客增長的樽頸。

普通話

明報社評 2011.01.24

Presented by lecturers of Hong Kong Community College, PolyU and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Mr. Nathan Nexus Phua, Lecturer, HKCC

http://www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/index.php?lang=eng&cms=1098

趙咏冰，香港專上學院講師

http://www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/index.php?cms=129&lang=big5

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