July visitor arrivals down 15 percent year-on-year

Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong fell 15 percent in June from a year earlier to around 1.83 million, data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board showed yesterday.

This brings cumulative arrivals for the first six months of 2009 to 13.7 million, down 3.4 percent from the same period last year.

Hotel occupancy in June averaged 61 percent, down 20

percentage points from a year earlier. The average hotel room rate in June was HK$901 ($116.3), down 20.2 percent from the same month a year ago.

Third free-TV station touted to broaden choice

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Rita Lau says an application for a license to operate a third free television station would be welcome. A spokesman for Cable TV earlier said the company wants to open a third free-to-air station, though it has not submitted a formal application. The government would need to relax its rules on cross-media-ownership. Lau said the government encourages wider choices for audiences by creating a competitive environment. She voiced the belief that the public would welcome an application by Cable TV. Cable TV expressed its interest in entering the field when public criticisms were directed at the two existing channels during hearings at which the Broadcasting Authority reviewed the performances of the existing free broadcasters.

500 workers to promote safe Internet use

More than 500 jobs created to promote the safe and healthy use of the Internet opened for applications yesterday at a recruitment expo. The "Be NetWise" Internet education campaign is a one-year program to promote awareness about safe use of the website and to help students, parents and teachers to improve their technical knowledge. The government has allocated HK$63 million for the campaign. The program will cover issues such as respect for personal data privacy and intellectual property rights, avoidance of Internet addiction, and protection against computer virus attacks.

Flu causes bump in the road for highway safety tour

Five members on an exchange trip to Beijing organized by the Hong Kong Road Safety Association have become infected with human swine flu and are now quarantined in Ditan Hospital. Some 30 members who had close contact with confirmed patients are being quarantined in Yanxiang Hotel and Changsheng Hospital. Another 70 participants in the exchange returned to Hong Kong yesterday afternoon. One of the members showed signs of fever on arrival in Beijing Sunday and was sent to hospital for a medical check. The remaining four cases were diagnosed yesterday morning. All patients are reported in stable condition.

Health center urges flu shots ASAP

The Centre of Health Protection urged the public, especially the elderly, children and chronic patients, to receive seasonal influenza vaccination as soon as it is available. Controller Thomas Tsang said a variant strain has been found in H3N2, which now constitutes 43 percent of local flu strains. The variant is a direct descendant of the Brisbane strain, the most prevalent virus during the previous flu peak. No scientific evidence shows the variant is more virulent than the previous H3 strains, nor that it has developed drug resistance. It is also not the first time to find changes in the flu virus. Even though the seasonal flu vaccines may not directly target the variant strain, Tsang said they can still offer a certain degree of protection.

China Daily - Agencies

(HK Edition 07/30/2009 page1)