Govt seeks smooth operation of bridge

The special administrative region government will work with mainland authorities to strengthen management of tour groups to achieve a smoother operation of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Secretary for Transport and Housing Frank Chan Fan said on Monday.

He made this announcement after the HZMB’s Hong Kong Port saw record-high passenger traffic levels — exceeding 100,000 people on Sunday. Long queues at shuttle bus stops were seen during peak hours.

Crowds waiting for the B6 bus to the port also caused problems for residents in Tung Chung — the nearest town from the bridge.

The long queues are mainly comprised of tour groups. According to the Transport Department, the average waiting time of tour groups in Hong Kong Port for shuttle buses to Zhuhai were about 30 minutes. For individual visitors, the time is only 5 minutes.

Among the tour groups, some haven’t reported their travel plans to the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong — the authorized self-regulator of the travel industry — before visiting the city. This goes against the TIC’s regulations.

The tour group members entered the city as individual visitors.

Chan said the government will strengthen the management of these groups by discussing it with mainland counterparts.

The government will also work with the city’s tourism and cross-boundary transportation sectors on relevant arrangements, he added.

Subject to a reporting mechanism, tour groups entering Hong Kong need to inform the council 48 hours prior to their arrival. This will help the council better manage the groups’ activities and provide assistance.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah also acknowledged the seriousness of the problem. Yau said the SAR welcomes mainland visitors, but added that some had arrived in the city by joining unqualified tour groups.

Yau also revealed that the Tourism Commission and representatives from the sector have discussed the problem with mainland authorities on Monday. He hopes officials on both sides can strengthen regulations and act in accordance with the law.

Tourism industry lawmaker Yiu Si-wing told China Daily that the government had already taken measures to cope with the matter.

The HZMB — the world’s longest sea span — has attracted different tour groups from Guangdong province to Hong Kong via the bridge. Most of them are same-day return travelers.

Yiu said the TIC’s statistics showed that a total of 14,000 tourists organized by its members left Hong Kong on Sunday. The council has helped some 6,000 depart by ferry, while 4,000 of them chose cross-boundary coaches. The actual number of tourists organized by mainland agencies has far outnumbered this number, according to Yiu.

However, he said these mainland groups, theoretically at least, were not subject to the regulations.

To cope with the problem, the Tourism Commission has already collected information on major mainland tourist agencies who organized most of the cross-boundary trips, Yiu said, citing officials from the commission.

They will advise the tourism department of Guangdong government to strengthen regulation of these agencies, he added.

On the same day, Yiu also submitted proposals to the Security Bureau, suggesting the bureau consider imposing punishments on mainland guides in these groups. Serving as a guide in the city without the approval from the Immigration Department risked breaching the Immigration Ordinance, he explained.

According to the Section 41 of the ordinance, such an offense can lead to a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and imprisonment for 2 years.