5.2. Tourism planning system of Hong Kong and Macao
The tourism planning administration reflects the characteristics
of the respective political economies under study. The following
section compares the tourism planning system of the two SARs in
three aspects: (1) tourism planning administration, (2) planning
strategies, polices and guidelines, and (3) the plan-making process.
5.2.1. Tourism planning administration
5.2.1.1. Hong Kong. Fig. 2 shows the major administrative units
which are responsible for, or related to, tourism planning in Hong
Kong. The Executive Council, which is predominantly made up of
business, commercial or professional interests, makes the final
decision for public policies. Before drafts of policies are sent to the
Executive Council for approval, the policies are first scrutinized by
the Chief Secretary Committee, which comprises various policy
secretaries and monitors government polices and related issues.
The Financial Secretary is responsible for planning and land
development in Hong Kong. Specifically, the Tourism Commission
within the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is in
charge of the policy issues related to tourism. The Development
Bureau, however, is responsible for the overall development
(including tourism) in the territory. There are two important
departments under the Development Bureau, the Land Department
and the Planning Department, which deal with the administration
of land and land use planning, respectively.
Under the Chief Secretary for Administration, the Transport and
Housing Bureau and Environment Bureau are responsible for
transport and environmental issues in Hong Kong, respectively. The
Leisure and Cultural Services Department provides policy advice for
all issues related to leisure and cultural heritage in the territory.
Some major tourism planning-related statutory boards also play
an important function in Hong Kong’s tourism planning. First, the
Town Planning Board (TPB) is a statutory body established under
the Town Planning Ordinance. It consists of seven officials and 29
non-official members all of which are appointed by the Chief
Executive. According to the Town Planning Ordinance, the TPB has
two major functions: the preparation of statutory plans, and the
consideration and reviews of development applications. Second,
the Appeal Board (AB) members are also appointed by the Chief Executive.