Established in 1978, the TIC was empowered in 1988 by the Government through the Travel Agents (Amendment) Ordinance to regulate outbound travel agents, in order that self-regulation implemented by the TIC could complement the licensing regime administered by the Government. This two-tier regulatory system has since been in place for 17 years, with the remarkable result that the outbound industry has prospered in an orderly manner. And in 2002, the TIC was again entrusted by the Government to monitor inbound travel agents. Those who are interested in the history of the TIC may refer to The Voice of TIC ; I will not go into details here. Recently, some people, perhaps because of their limited legal knowledge, have questioned the powers of the TIC to regulate travel agents. What is the truth? Anyone, having read the following paragraph, quoted from a letter sent by Ms Kinnie Wong, Assistant Commissioner for Tourism, to a member in reply to his enquiries, should be clear about the whole matter:
The present two-tier regulatory system [was] introduced in 1988 through the enactment of the Travel Agents Ordinance. . . . The purpose [of it] is to protect consumers' interest on one hand and to facilitate the healthy development of the travel trade industry on the other. The system has a firm legal basis and is consistent with the relevant provisions in the Basic Law. Under the arrangement, licensing of travel agents is administered by the Travel Agents Registry of the HKSAR Government while the regulation of the day-to-day operation of travel agents is conducted through self-regulation by the TIC. This two-tier system, incorporating a self-regulatory mechanism, is similar to the mode of regulation practised in other professions. Over the years, the present mode of regulation has been operating smoothly.
The above explanation was put down in black and white by a government official solely responsible for matters related to travel and tourism. Should there be any more questions, there are many proper channels through which one could seek an answer. Let us hope those much-ado-about-nothing efforts will come to an end.
Ronnie Ho
22 March 2005