48-474: The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a Government -subverted body founded in 2001. The HKTB replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) that was established in 1957. It has 15 branch offices and representative offices in 6 markets around the world, and its primary mission is to maximize the social and economic contribution that tourism makes to the community of Hong Kong and consolidate
96-535: A bid to save HK $ 2 million annually (US$ 256,000) in operating costs, HKTB announced on 5 November 2010 that the assessment work of QTS merchants had been outsourced to the Productivity Council , while the work to engage merchants to offer discounts for visitors had been outsourced to AQ Communications. The saving will fund extra marketing work for the QTS scheme. As a result, the jobs of 17 permanent and contract staff of
144-586: A key role in ensuring harmony in policy formulation and implementation. The current Secretary is Chan Kwok-ki . The Financial Secretary is responsible for preparing the Government Budget in accordance with the Chief Executive's agenda in the policy address, ensuring fiscal policies are in accordance to the Public Finance Ordinance. The secretary has to estimate of revenue and expenditure before
192-455: A popular Hong Kong slang term used to describe poor service or a bad-tempered person. Simply by presenting his/her travel document and a copy of QTS promotional leaflet at a participating QTS merchant, visitors can enjoy special privileges ranging from exclusive discount to small gift (e.g. a free silk tee for purchasing a suit at a custom tailor). In addition to displaying the QTS gold and black sign, participating QTS merchants would also display
240-522: A sense of friendliness, mutual help and responsibility among members, and to promote better security, a better environment and, generally, more effective management within the building. These committees provide a channel of two-way communication between the Government and the residents on matters affecting the well-being of the individual and the community and also provide opportunities for residents to participate in community activities. An Owners' Corporation
288-641: Is a government official, holds the capacity as Deputy Chairman of the HKTB. Launched in November 1999, the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme ( Traditional Chinese : 優質旅遊服務) is an accreditation programme which promotes service excellence among local businesses and assists customers with identifying quality service providers. To qualify, a merchant must fulfil a prescribed criteria and undergo annual assessments. Initially, only shops and restaurants were covered by
336-491: Is a voluntary body formed by the residents of a building. Mutual aid committees were promoted initially in private multi-storey buildings, and quickly extended to public housing estates, industrial buildings, temporary housing and squatter areas. As at March 31, 2004, there were 3,103 mutual aid committees throughout Hong Kong Island , Kowloon and the New Territories . The primary aims of a mutual aid committee are to promote
384-578: Is an executive agency in the government of Hong Kong responsible for internal affairs of the territory. It reports to the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau , headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs . The department is responsible for the District Administration Scheme , community building and community involvement activities, minor environmental improvement projects and minor local public works, and
432-777: Is elected by an Election Committee , a 1500-member electoral college consisting of individuals and bodies (i.e. special interest groups) elected within 40 functional constituencies defined in the Basic Law. The winner is then appointed to the position by the Premier of the People's Republic of China . The Chief Executive is responsible for implementing the Basic Law, signing bills and budgets, promulgating laws, making decisions on government policies, and issuing Executive Orders. Then Chief Executive, Carrie Lam , began exercise of her unfettered residual powers of law-making by decree on 4 October 2019, under
480-634: Is headed by the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong , who is the most senior principal official of the Government. The Chief Secretary and the other secretaries jointly oversee the administration of Hong Kong, give advice to the Chief Executive as members of the Executive Council , and are accountable for their actions and policies to the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council . Under the " one country, two systems " constitutional principle,
528-520: Is led by the Secretary for Justice (Hong Kong) ( Legal Department and Attorney General before the transfer of sovereignty). The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for all prosecutions in Hong Kong, drafting all government legislation, and advising other policy bureaux and departments of the government on a vast array of legal issues. The department consists of the Prosecutions Division,
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#1732848127949576-609: Is often confused with another public service announcement (PSA) promoting quality services which was also fronted by Andy Lau. The PSA was filmed in 2002 by the Information Services Department . There were 5 different versions all featuring rude vs. courteous shop assistants and drivers. Titled "Success Starts with Quality Service" (優質服務 致勝之道), the PSA was a huge success as one of Lau's lines, "Service like this just isn't good enough in today's standard" (今時今日咁嘅服務態度未夠架) has become
624-467: Is set to rise by 6.7 percent to HK$ 776.9 billion (US$ 99.23 billion). The Chief Executive is the head of the Region and head of government of Hong Kong. The Basic Law designates a system of governance led by a Chief Executive and an Executive Council , under the principles of separation of powers , with a two-tiered system of semi-representative government and an independent judiciary. The Chief Executive
672-784: The Emergency Regulations Ordinance , Chapter 241 of the Laws of Hong Kong, bypassing the legislature. As of 1 July 1997, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong officially replaced the Governor of Hong Kong as the head of the government for Hong Kong following the handover . The Chief Executive is assisted by the Chief Secretary for Administration and the Financial Secretary , and other secretaries who heads policy bureaus. The secretaries for each government affairs are appointed by
720-528: The Financial Secretary . The Chief Secretary for Administration is customarily considered to be the leader of the bureaux. Home Affairs Department High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations The Home Affairs Department
768-515: The Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign and Fight Violent Crime Campaign . Nowadays, the functions of area committees are to encourage public participation in district affairs, to advise and assist in the organisation of community involvement activities and the implementation of government-sponsored initiatives, and advise on issues of a localised nature affecting the area. Throughout the years, area committees have played an important role in
816-528: The Legislative Council each year, and to deliver an annual budget to the Legislative Council, outlining the government's budgetary proposals and moving the appropriation bills. The current FS is Paul Chan Mo-po . The Secretary for Justice is responsible for prosecutions and legal matters and heads the Department of Justice . The current Secretary for Justice is Paul Lam . The hierarchical structure of
864-614: The Registrar General , who was also called the 'Protector of the Chinese'. Fung-Chi Au ( Chinese : 區鳳墀 ; Cantonese Yale : Āu Fuhng Chìh ; 1847–1914), who was the teacher of Chinese literature for Sun Yat-sen , was the Secretary of the Department of Chinese Affairs ( Chinese : 華民政務司署總書記 ; Cantonese Yale : Wàh'màhn Jingmouh Sīchyúh Júngsyūgei ). In 1913 the department
912-472: The State Council of China on the nomination of the Chief Executive. The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for legal matters of the government and prosecution for criminal cases in the territory. The Independent Commission Against Corruption and Audit Commission report directly to the Chief Executive. The current Chief Executive is John Lee . The Executive Council decides on matters of policy,
960-541: The Chief Executive from within or outside the civil service . The system was portrayed as the key to solve previous administrative problems, notably the co-operation of high-ranking civil servants with the Chief Executive. Under the new system, there are 3 Secretaries of department and 13 Directors of Bureaux. The system is aimed at raising the accountability of the civil service, so the political appointees are responsible for all their job aspects and will step down if they make any failure. All heads of bureaux became members of
1008-714: The Civil Division, the Legal Policy Division, the Law Drafting Division, the International Law Division and the Administration and Development Division. The current fifteen policy bureaux is a result of the 2022 government reorganisation , which added, expanded, and re-titled several bureaux. Currently, nine bureaux reports to the Chief Secretary for Administration , and the other six reports to
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#17328481279491056-725: The Executive Council, and came directly under the Chief Executive instead of the Chief Secretary or the Financial Secretary. The government released a report on the Further Development of the Political Appointment System on 17 October 2007. Two new layers, deputy directors of Bureaux and Assistants to Directors (AD) would be added to the political appointments. Each Director of Bureau will be assisted by
1104-616: The Government is, in law, exclusively in charge of Hong Kong's internal affairs and specified external relations . The Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC), from which the Hong Kong government is financially independent, is responsible for Hong Kong SAR's defence and foreign policy , while decisions made by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress can, in certain circumstances, override territorial judicial processes. The Hong Kong SAR government replaced
1152-583: The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government ) is the executive authorities of Hong Kong . It was established on 1 July 1997, following the handover of Hong Kong . The Chief Executive and the principal officials are appointed by the State Council of the People's Republic of China in accordance with the outcome of local processes. The Government Secretariat
1200-601: The Ombudsman and Public Service Commission report to the Chief Executive directly. The Human Resources Planning and Poverty Co-ordination Office, Administration Wing and Legal Aid Department are under the Chief Secretary for Administration's Office. The Office of the Government Economist and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority are under the Financial Secretary's Office. The Department of Justice
1248-515: The Partnership & Quality Tourism Services Department had been made redundant with immediate effect. Only 5 staff would be retained to monitor the outsourced work. Local media reported that the staff affected were first notified at 3pm on the same day of the announcement and were asked to leave by the end of the day. They were given compensation in accordance with the local labour laws but were denied internal transfer to other vacant positions within
1296-598: The QTS Visitor Accommodation Scheme. In response, HKTB committed to creating more places in the quality training workshops for merchants and co-operate with the Home Affairs Department to proactively promote QTS Visitor Accommodation Scheme. The QTS status of 3 merchants specialised in the bird's nest – a Chinese delicacy – were terminated on the 27 July 2007. The 3 merchants had publicly admitted infringement of another merchant's trademark. In
1344-463: The QTS scheme. The scheme was extended to accommodations and hair salons in November 2006 and March 2010 respectively. As of March 2010, over 7,200 merchant outlets have been accredited under the QTS scheme. The QTS scheme is one of the most successful consumer protection programmes in Hong Kong. The Intellectual Property Department reported in 2008 that 4,700 outlets had joined its "No Fakes Pledge" – another well-known consumer protection programme in
1392-406: The administration's own admission, the announcements were poorly handled, and there was widespread criticism of several key aspects, namely the nationality and experience of appointees, the transparency of the recruitment process and the level of officials' salaries. The Chief Secretary for Administration is responsible for assisting the Chief Executive in the supervision of policy bureaux and plays
1440-452: The assessment. The Audit Commission carried out a comprehensive audit on the HKTB in 2006 – 07. In the report released in October 2007, an entire section was devoted to the QTS scheme. The commission made 3 recommendations suggesting HKTB should take action to improve the scheme and reduce the number of complaints, explore ways to achieve self-financing and encourage more operators to apply for
1488-524: The city's position as a desired destination. The HKTA works with the Government, travel industry and other partners to market and promote Hong Kong worldwide, improving the range and quality of visitor facilities, tourism service standards and enhancing the experiences of visitors. The HKTB Board is operated by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government and is made up of 20 members from various industries. The Commissioner for Tourism, who
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1536-580: The districts and in providing a link between the local community and the district office. Area committee members are appointed by the Director of Home Affairs and are drawn from a wide spectrum of the community including district council members of the area concerned. At present, there are 70 area committees throughout Hong Kong. In general, each area committee serves an area with a population, including residents and mobile population (workers, shoppers, tourists etc.), of about 80,000 to 100,000. A mutual aid committee
1584-615: The expiry of the Chief Executive's term of office. In a system popularly called the Principal Officials Accountability System introduced by then Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002, all principal officials, including the Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Secretary for Justice, heads of government bureaux and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office would no longer be politically neutral career civil servants, but would all be political appointees chosen by
1632-492: The former British Hong Kong Government (1842–1997) in 1997. Despite gradually evolving, the general governmental structure was inherited from British Hong Kong . On February 28, 2024, the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Paul Chan , announced the Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) government budget for the fiscal year 2024 to 2025 (“2024–25 Budget”). Under the 2024-25 budget, total government expenditure
1680-611: The government secretariat and government departments in Chief Executive John Lee 's administration since 1 July 2022 is as follows: The Office of the Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring the Chief Executive receives the best advice and support for formulating and co-ordinating policies. It is headed by the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, who would sit in meetings of the Executive Council. The Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office , Independent Commission Against Corruption , Audit Commission , Office of
1728-404: The introduction of bills to the Legislative Council and the drafting of subordinate legislation. The Council consists of 21 principal officials and 16 non-official members. All members are appointed by the Chief Executive from among the senior officials of the executive authorities, members of the Legislative Council , and other influential public personnels. They serve for a period no longer than
1776-445: The licensing of hotels and guesthouses , bedspace apartments and clubs. It promotes the concept of effective building management and works closely with other government departments to consistently improve the standard of building management in Hong Kong. It monitors the provision of new arrival services and identifies measures to meet the needs of new arrivals. It also disseminates information relating to and, where necessary, promotes
1824-418: The organisation. A staff had expressed anger at being kept in the dark about the tendering of the outsourced work in a newspaper interview. HKTB Deputy Executive Director Daisy Lam later reiterated to the media at an event launch function that the outsourcing was a result of an organizational review conducted a year ago in 2009. In an interview to local newspapers, Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan questioned about
1872-424: The public's understanding of major government policies, strategies and development plans; and collects and assesses public opinion on relevant issues affecting the community. These responsibilities are discharged primarily through the 18 district offices covering the whole of Hong Kong. For a long time the department was the only channel of communication between the people and the government. It used to be headed by
1920-424: The quality of work after the outsourcing. Lee was also concerned that the affected staff will be unable to secure another job as the end of the year. Another lawmaker Wong Kwok-h H ing criticized HKTB for setting a bad example and he feared the private sector may follow suit. Daisy Lam responded to critics that in addition to compensation, those affected may consider a transfer to the two outsourced bodies. Lam
1968-415: The red VIP Offers sign as recognition. The VIP Offers programme was discontinued on 31 December 2008. Investigations were launched against one of the 3D-GOLD outlets after 40 customers complained that they had been harassed by the staff and had been prevented from leaving the shop. The entire 3D-GOLD chain store was stripped of its QTS status with effect from 1 December 2004. This was the first termination in
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2016-415: The scheme's history. The original 3D-GOLD Jewellery Holdings got into more controversies with the sudden death of its chairman, delisting from the stock exchange and it was on the verge of liquidation by the end of 2008. In July 2009, the jeweller was officially taken over by Hong Kong Resources Holdings ( SEHK : 2882 ). The QTS status of the new 3D-GOLD chain was later reinstated after it had passed
2064-403: The territory. All accredited merchants must display the gold and black QTS sign on their shop windows for recognition. After the launch of the QTS scheme, the use of membership badges bearing the iconic red junk logos of the former HKTA was discontinued in 2000. The HKTA membership badge was first introduced in 1965. Starring famous Hong Kong actor/singer/producer Andy Lau , the 2003 commercial
2112-520: The two new appointees and constitute the political team, who would ostensibly work closely with bureau secretaries and top civil servants in implementing the Chief Executive 's policy agenda in an executive-led government. As with the principal officials, these two new posts may be drawn from within or outside the civil service, and appointees may or may not have a political background. Eight new Under-secretaries were named on 20 May, and nine Political Assistant appointments were announced on 22 May 2008. By
2160-547: Was Donald Luddington . In February 2021, the Home Affairs Department announced that pro-democracy district council members would be excluded from government-linked organizations that focus on neighborhood issues. In March 2021, Ramon Yuen said that officials from the department had selectively trimmed his discussion about a pro-democracy protest from the official record. Area committees were formed in districts in 1972 primarily to promote public participation in
2208-548: Was called the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs. After the 1967 riots , the colonial government introduced the City District Officer Scheme (民政主任) "as the first sign of reaching out to the ordinary people" in Hong Kong society. It was renamed the Home Affairs Department in 1971 because, according to the government, the department dealt not only with matters relating to the Chinese. The first Secretary for Home Affairs
2256-404: Was inspired by Lau's 2002 blockbuster movie Infernal Affairs – a movie about an undercover cop and a bad cop working for the triads. The core message of the commercial is shops selling genuine goods and providing high standard service should set themselves apart from dishonest merchants by getting the QTS accreditation. The commercial is currently still aired from time to time. The QTS commercial
2304-430: Was not worried others would follow HKTB's move as other companies should make their own judgment call. Government of Hong Kong High Court District Court Magistrates' Court Special courts and tribunals: Chief Executive Elections Legislative elections District council elections Consular missions in Hong Kong Hong Kong–China relations Hong Kong–Taiwan relations The Government of
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