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Hotel charges rise again due to inflation

The Young Reporter (1979, December 15), 12(05), pp. 1.
Permanent URL - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0013108

TOURISTS will have to pay 15 per cent more in hotel charges in 1980, said Mr Manuel Woo, acting executive director of Hongkong Hotel Association.

“The increase is due to inflation,” he said. “But when the increases will start is still not decided.”

Hotel charges had already gone up by 10 to 20 per cent this year.

Mr Woo predicted that the increase will not affect the tourist industry because tourism is flourishing all over the world.

“Hotel charges in Hongkong are not so high when compared to other count lies,” he said.

Japan has the highest cost in Asia, with Hongkong in the second or third place.

COSTLIEST

But Mr Raymond Shiu of the HKTA said that Hongkong hotels ranked 18th among the world’s costliest.

He said the industry prospects were good and the proposed increases would have no effect on the number of tourists visiting here.

“Every year, more tourists are coming to Hongkong,” he said. “We have to build more hotels therefore.”

However, Mr Shiu says that there would be a shortage of good staff in the the field. Last year, there were 500 vacancies in hotel business.

There are 48 hotels in the colony, and 23 more will be completed by the end of 1982.

Shangri-la Hotel, Regal Palace Hotel, Regent of Hongkong and Holiday Inn Harbour View are some of the new hotels. Each of them will have from 600 to 700 rooms.

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