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Frontline personnel provide suggestions to long term planners
By J. Chun
Photos by Alison So and Cherry Chan Hong Kong — The "City of Life"
Even though the government provides Chau Chi Ming, a full time taxi driver, with courses to enhance his quality of services, he ignores them.
Serving in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mr. Chau is one of the tourist service providers targeted by the government to improving language skills. Being in his late 40s, he said he lacks the motivation to learn English.
He said, “I will not take the courses on English and manners even if the government provides them free of charge.”
To own a taxi license, one does not need to know English. The qualifications include a 3-year private car license and passing a written test. Whenever foreign tourists get in a taxi, the driver can call the headquarters for translation. This is what Mr. Chau usually does.
Said Mr. Chau: “The government has distributed an English learning CD to us, but I just ignore it, like my colleagues do.”
He thinks that the existing tourism policies are impractical. To him, having the double yellow line cancelled or loading restriction period shortened at a tourist area contributes more to his revenues.
Jamine Higgins, general manager of the Ninetysevengroup, a bar in Lan Kwai Fong that has nine branches in Hong Kong, also finds the government’s actions unattractive. Among his foreign customers, 35 percent are tourists. From his 10-year experience in dealing with tourists, Mr. Higgins thinks tourists focus more on the whole experience of the trip. The million-dollar dragon logo isn’t enough to lure them.
Kelvin Lui Ninetysevengroup's Jamine Higgins.
He explained that tourists have become very price-conscious. They now care more about the prices listed on the menus.
Spending per customer at his bar is now $200 per night, $150 less compared with 1997. Mr. Higgins’ company tries to increase publicity by placing advertisements in overseas magazines, organizing exhibitions and doing interviews with the foreign press. He said that he would rather help himself than rely on the government.
He said, “The propaganda is terrible and useless.
“City of Life? What a boring sentence,” he averred.
