TVB News | Pearl Magazine | Hong Kong, Macao and HengQin Tourism | 9 Oct 2023 | Hong Kong News
[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] hello again and welcome to Pearl magazine as Hong Kong welcomes back the world to its Shores it's also trying to regain the work and Leisure environment it had before the pandemic tonight Pearl magazine speaks to anakate president of the European Chamber of Commerce which represents 16 European Chambers in the city about what it will take to attract Talent back to the territory he talks about the importance of a diverse population as well as what the greater Bay Area represents to European businesses because are just the B you so I that's a littleit something are European companies concerned about the National Security Law in Hong Kong and its potential impact on business I don't think it's a topic so you say it's always a topic but I don't think it's a topic to be honest not not for International Business community so I don't think we we we care about that we care about making sure that I mean the the environments we operate are actually the right environments for us and I think Hong Kong is definitely still having all the elements that make it like a fascinating place to make business we all here Hong Kong is having trouble attracting Talent how is this viewed in in Europe do they still see that there are geopolitical issues are they worried about any kind of political situation in Hong Kong or the attractiveness of this city as a place to work or do business I think there might be people that think like that in Europe and I think we need to reinforce the message that uh Hong Kong is definitely a place worth coming and working if we want to remain International business H and I think we have lost quite a lot of that diversity over the last years um I think attracting Talent um is not going to be resolved if we just attract people from Mainland I heard this morning that about 90% of the applications that were received for uh on the last months were actually from Mainland and I think with only that we are not going to be able to go back to that kind of international position that we used to have the other thing is that I mean we don't need only just the top tier um employees from the top tier universities uh the the need of talent for talent is actually across the board um um from the top to the bottom of the organizations and across all different sectors we are competing with major cities in the world like Dubai like the you know people in syon Valley and if we want to attract um people from all over the world we need to take into consideration what makes in the end these people to choose one or Another Place Hong Kong has a bit of of a challenge to offer right like um you know proper housing or bigger bigger houses that they that we are used to live here access to um kindergarten basic level of use of English across all the service Industries you mentioned diversity is diversity one of the pillars that makes Hong Kong important as an international Hub absolutely diversity is one of those uh components that make organization productive competitive Innovative without Innovation you know what is the opportunity for us to remain Challenger in the markets that we operate when we had um the massive Exodus of foreigners during the last 3 four years it's something that we didn't really understood well we didn't understood that the unintended consequence would be that we would have this challenge with lack of diversity now I think we have a duty to really uh make an effort to bring that back and yes we can do it by making an effort to attract people then eventually we need to also think a little bit about um inside Hong Kong what are the elements that we need to put in place to make sure that I mean some of the systemic challenges that we have here with housing or the fact that we start to see deteriorating the level of use of English um we need to really make an effort across the board from government to private organizations to to change it the Hong Kong government is trying to attract Talent what are some of the hurdles that you see right now at the moment the programs are very much focused on the top tier so just bringing the talent from the top 100 universities but I think that uh that's not enough we have some of our members uh are big employers like 15,000 employees is one of the organizations I can think right now they need about 500 to 700 people every single week and they they don't definitely you're not going to find them from top universities you need to find them pretty much from anywhere and and I think that uh the current the current model and the current speed that we have is definitely not enough for that kind of demand and also the way the program is actually defined in terms of you know where where you should be able to bring people from and so on there is a feeling I know from people who don't speak uh either cantones or Mandarin that this is now a requirement in order to get a job in Hong Kong do your members feel the same way I don't think it's mandatory and necessary for everything that's the first thing and uh and if we understand that and if we understand that I mean Hong Kong plays a bigger role than just uh being yet another city in China but actually can play a role as a regional H for um Asia in general with that in mind I think that there there should be plenty of opportunities for organizations to bring people here that that are going to be working and playing a role to connect with other parts of the world where the use of English should be sufficient um I think that if we expect everyone to speak Mandarin we will have big problem to attract people from our overseas we need to also make sure that the level of English but the level of English needs to improve substantially not just with International Community but with with everyone in Hong Kong um I Heard talking to people working in the education system and the in the both private universities that um interesting enough you know the the students coming from mainland China have better linguage level than some of the local students so we need to make a little bit of an effort to really change that you had mentioned uh Talent across the board all sector not just at the top end in the past we used to have like International staff and restaurants chefs weight service everything is this something that you think Hong Kong needs to Main maintain absolutely I think that um Hong Kong is one of the food capitals of the world and I think that should be probably one of the um key components of a strategy to regain uh trust internationally as a as a touristic destination explore that make people want to come and see what you what Hong Kong has to offer in terms of uh food tourism um but in order to be able to deliver that you need to have world class chefs from all over the world to be able to accommodate that uh offering and I think that today uh it's it's still difficult to attract people in this industry to come to Hong Kong I mean there has been obviously some challenges obviously with u with visas and I think eventually even if the government is trying to make it easier still the process takes too long so I think that's one of the first things to fix the greater Bay Area is now a kind of brand for this area do people in Europe understand what is happening in the greater Bay Area or does there need to be more um more Outreach on this what they don't know is what goes on beyond that right I mean I think that the concept of the GBA is still a bit abstract they don't know what it means in practice does it mean that we can move freely goods and people do they and I think that um the fact that I mean it's been talking about talking about for so long but nothing really practical has been emerging is also something that makes it difficult for people to grasp the reality is that um very little is known outside uh in Europe I think there there is a lot of misconception and and not not understanding of what is what GBA means but especially around the big projects Hong Kong is uh you know building three artificial islands is building a Megapolis next to the border with Shen Shen and very very few people in Europe know about this immense Investments that could actually be very interesting and especially for organizations and companies in Europe that work around the circular economy or sustainability so there's a lot of effort that needs still to be done in order to communicate what is happening in this part of the world because uh it could attract a lot of interest also from Europe when you cross the border you see that San and all these places they are becoming a lot more modern and a lot more um futuristic so you'll be more more efficient more what Hong Kong would like to be but I mean it is on the other side so I think Hong Kong is the one that is starting to lag behind and I think there's a risk that if Hong Kong does not do anything about it I mean it will become a little bit of a this kind of obsolete touristic destination that people remember and want to come and visit I mean the fact that I mean you will have such a huge Market makes should make it interesting for almost anyone the fact that I mean the on the other side of the Border there is quite a a lot of investment going on to build Advanced manufacturing into a completely different level that we have seen now should also make it interesting for organizations that are thinking about um moving forward in their Ambitions of U uh moving forward in their Ambitions of um building a a differentiation through manufacturing do you think there will be a Resurgence of interest from European companies in Hong Kong yes but it will proba take longer than we anticipated I think among other things because um Hong Kong has lost a little bit of that relevancy that we were talking at the beginning and to change the mindset to bring it up to uh to the top of Mind of uh um not only organizations but the people that are leading those organizations it will take time so it's early days I mean the the reality is that I mean we still don't see um the recovery we would like to see after all these years what we have seen is starting that some people are coming to scout some leaders from companies that have offices here they want to come and see what is the situation by themselves which is exactly what we need um at the European chamber we need to be still consider if you want to do business in this part of the world the connection to China the gateway to China um the fact that I mean is a place where you can have in a very single small place um the the Confluence of talent that we used to have makes it really unique for organizations up next how H Chan Island next to maau is offering visitors a caravan Park experience the first of its kind in China stay with [Music] us welcome back to Pearl magazine in 2021 the juhi government and its counterpart in maau decided to develop henin Island which sits next to maau into an international Leisure Island since then a number of large-scale entertainment and Leisure projects have been completed tonight we catch a ride across the Hong Kong juwai Macau bridge and check out what's on offer for tourists from Hong Kong maau and elsewhere in the greater Bay Area drive there sleep there this new form of travel is a hit in post Pand mic China for complete privacy the Caravan Resort is a good option everything is ready we have a fully equipped place with a refrigerator and bathroom plus each Caravan has a small garden with a barbecue station children and adults the whole family can come to play even if you come alone you you can still experience this you don't have to worry about other things this Resort in h chin is the first Caravan camping ground on the mainland there are more than 30 Caravans in the park for tourists to stay in our country attaches great importance to the development of Caravans the ordinary sight scene tours type the self-driving travel mode with this background we all need an industry Benchmark and a standard demonstration side so we won the title of the first demonstration site there are specific standards for the facilities of the guest rooms and the space per passenger so there has to be enough space to operate which is one of the reasons why the resort chose hang chin hunting itself has great developmental advantages with hes of square kilometers of space for us to develop tourism Hing is the only place where Hong Kong maau and the mland are connected by SE and land at the same time so in terms of Transportation space and Facilities hunting has great advantages the person in charge says the number of tourists has rebounded significantly after the pandemic in addition to tourists from neighboring areas such as Jew High the number of guests from Hong Kong and maau has incre increased by 30% so different types of rooms such as containers and Villas have been specially designed to meet the requirements of different guests we will learn from macau's hotel services to improve our service [Music] level maau is an international tourist destination and the tourist it brands are very helpful to hunting Jo in 2021 the Hang chin Macau deep cooperation Zone was officially launched with a proposal to develop hang chin into an international Leisure tourism Island various large-scale entertainment and Leisure projects on the island have been completed and operated in succession and they work together such as providing shuttle buses between tourist spots hoping to jointly expand hang Chin's tourism territory we have also formed an interconnection with other projects on other Islands because some of our main entertainment projects are mainly indoors while other projects may be relatively more outdoor so this is complimentary this VR simulation motorcycle riding game has just won the best game equipment award organized by the industry but if it's too scary for children there are games suitable for kids this technology interactive project combines virtual reality augmented reality and elements of Science Education so children can have fun learning as they play it includes a lot of content such as archaeology space zoology and oceanography in this way our children and their parents can experience what a real adventurous we go through the indoor park has four floors and covers an area of 22,000 square m it has more than 30 Amusement projects and is the largest indoor climbing facility in Asia many of the guests who come to play are from nearby companies and even foreign companies participating in exhibitions this project is most suitable for teamwork for some companies as were some interactive or research courses in schools in this way firstly it launches our brand and secondly it caters to some research and team booting needs the opening of the Hong Kong jwai maau bridge and the 24-hour Customs clearance at hang chin Port have made hang chin the only free trade pilot Zone in the mainland that is connected to Hong Kong and maau by roads and Bridges at the same time the group said that this unique geographical location has brought great benefits to tourism company stationed there in the past shuai hung chin was the farthest from Hong Kong because it was an upside down new shape on the map in the past you had to drive and it might take 4 hours to connect of course you can take the ferry but they were not so frequent in the past since the complete comption of the Hong Kong xuhai maau bridge the distance has been shortened after you get on the bus at Tong Chong you will have reached shuai H chin in 35 minutes the second point is we are just between Hong Kong and maau it only takes 30 or 40 minutes to get from Hong Kong if you want to go to Macau step out of the hotel door and get on the bus you only need 30 minutes to reach the destination during the pandemic the hotel mainly served mainland tourists from the greater Bay Area after the pandemic the number of tourists from Hong Kong and maau has increased significantly and the occupancy rate on weekends is more than [Music] 90% we're different from hotels in Macau obviously the number of rooms there is usually over a thousand and the public facilities are very luxurious or high-end they have a different group of customers who come for gambling and entertainment their room rates especially on days of high demand can s very high our hotel room rates are equal to Mainland standards but we are also uniquely endowed with good location and other benefits we have been able to get good room rates too but still cheaper than those in Macau sometimes at least half the price macau's tourism industry has rebounded rapidly after the pandemic and new cultural and tourism projects have been completed in succession in February alone 1.6 million tourists were received how can hen chin which was originally positioned as an extension of macau's tourist area compliment maau that's from the national 12 5year plan maau has been designated as an International Center of Tourism and Leisure hin is positioned as an international Lea tourism Island by the country maau is a big tourism destination which can include Sports tourism cultural tourism and other different products because of the natural resources hin is positioned as Leisa tourism similar to now making a different development plan can also make use of this complimentary resource between our two places to jointly strengthen tourism cooperation in this region to promote the development of tourism in h chin and maau the local government has launched a special tour guide work permit for Hong Kong and Macau practitioners to work locally recently the two places have also jointly promoted the one exhibition two places policy hoping to interconnect and cooperate for joint development in other words during the exhibition period many of our exhibitors can move to hin after finishing their exhibition in maau and bring a group of people here to hold the exhibition which is more convenient for those who have not applied for a visa to maau they can come to hen I think through these various measures and also many upcoming policies as the policies are steadily implemented I believe that in the future there will be more and more people coming to honin to work for or start a business as time goes by that's our show for this week join us on Pearl magazine same time next week bye for now [Music] [Music] n
2023-10-21 14:18
