HONG KONG, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The Marine Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Monday announced the implementation of cross-boundary facilitation measures for yachts.
A spokesperson for the department said that the measures will streamline vetting procedures and enhance port formality efficiency to facilitate the implementation of existing policies for yachts visiting Hong Kong, thereby attracting more yachts from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and around the world to choose Hong Kong as their destination and helping Hong Kong develop into a yachting hub in Asia.
The three newly introduced facilitation measures include enhancing the electronic business system, relaxing the requirements of berths for visiting yachts, and facilitating masters of visiting yachts from the Chinese mainland to obtain required qualifications.
The spokesperson said that the Marine Department will closely monitor the implementation of these measures, step up publicity and education on safe and orderly navigation and anchoring in Hong Kong waters, and continuously review and enhance the arrangements.
The HKSAR government will also maintain close cooperation with the relevant authorities on the mainland as well as the tourism industry, with an aim to foster a healthy, sustainable, and competitive environment for the development of the local yacht economy, the spokesperson added. ■
