HAD steps up enforcement actions against unlicensed guesthouses during festive seasons (with photos)
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The OLA stepped up operations during the Christmas and New Year holidays. During the festive season in the past month, the OLA has inspected 276 premises in various districts throughout the territory and 12 premises were suspected to have unlicensed guesthouse activities. Two persons suspected of breaching conditions of stay were found during the operations and have been referred to the Police for follow-up action. The OLA will continue to crack down on illegal guesthouses during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays by conducting day and night decoy operations and surprise inspections at tourist accommodation hotspots. The OLA will also launch large-scale inter-departmental joint operations.
A spokesman for the HAD said, "To ensure the safety of tourists and members of the public, the OLA has spared no effort to combat unlicensed guesthouses and is examining the evidence gathered. Prosecution will be instituted immediately if there is sufficient evidence that the premises concerned are involved in such illegal activities. Operating an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and it can lead to imprisonment as well as a criminal record. Upon conviction, an offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000, two years of imprisonment and possibly a fine of $20,000 for each day during which the offence continues."
In 2016, the OLA carried out 13 574 inspections targeting unlicensed guesthouses and instituted 158 prosecutions. The total number of convictions was 166.
In light of the increasing trend for unlicensed guesthouses to let out sleeping accommodation through the Internet or mobile applications, the OLA has strengthened its intelligence collection by forming a dedicated team to browse webpages, mobile applications, social media, discussion forums and blogs. While tracking down suspected unlicensed guesthouse activities and taking necessary enforcement actions, the OLA also posts messages on the Internet to appeal to tourists to patronise licensed guesthouses.
In addition to strengthening law enforcement actions, the OLA will continue to step up publicity efforts to urge tourists to patronise licensed guesthouses via different channels, such as broadcasting Announcements in the Public Interest on TV, radio, public transportation, at immigration control points and on outdoor LED TV panels in tourist accommodation hotspots, as well as displaying posters and distributing leaflets at the immigration control points. The OLA will also reinforce publicity at different websites, mobile applications and YouTube, as well as work closely with the Tourism Commission, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and the Consumer Council to appeal to tourists to patronise licensed guesthouses.
Members of the public and tourists with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses should report to the OLA through telephone (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".
Ends/Monday, January 16, 2017
Issued at HKT 15:00
Issued at HKT 15:00
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