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■特區政府銳意活化尖沙咀海濱，為本港旅遊業帶來新活力。資料圖片
特區政府康文署計劃與私人發展商一起優化尖沙咀海旁及星光大道一帶，包括興建新的零售、餐飲和休憩設施等，以增加對遊客的吸引力。
2005年香港迪士尼樂園開幕後，本港受歡迎的新景點無以為繼，現有熱門景點的吸引力也日漸失色，例如廣受歡迎的星光大道，景點單調，休憩設施較少而備受遊人詬病，一些展品、設施的保養和道路維修工作也存在不少問題。反觀新加坡、韓國等地，除了翻新升級舊有景點，更不停建造新旅遊景點，吸引遊客目光。
在這種背景下，香港政府着手開展海濱優化建設，開拓休閒設施和旅遊地標，規劃發展方向值得支持。同時，港府此次引入私人發展商出資興建相關優化工程，這樣的財務安排省卻了大筆公帑開支。
有聲音質疑，政商界展開合作或會「過於商業化」、「傾向有利營運者」。政商界合作開發旅遊項目的模式，早有先例，香港迪士尼樂園就是此模式下的成功例子，而新加坡、北京及首爾等地，也有政府與商業機構合作的例子。
港府應審慎行事，盡量多聽並吸納不同界別人士的意見，盡可能平衡不同利益訴求，並且保持最大限度的公開透明，讓公眾信服支持。
Optimizing TST waterfront to revitalize tourism
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department is planning together with private developers to optimize the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront and the Avenue of Stars. The proposal includes the addition of more retail stores, catering services and recreational facilities in an attempt to boost the appeal of the tourist attractions.
No major tourist spot has been established ever since the opening of the Hong Kong Disneyland back in 2005. At the same time the existing attractions begin to lose their charm. Take the Avenue of Stars as an example: what it has been offering is monotonous in nature. Tourists are also often resentful at its lack of leisure facilities, and the maintenance of roads, amenities and exhibits has also proven to be problematic. In contrast, Singapore and South Korea have been forging new tourist spots and revitalizing the existing ones to attract tourists.
Under such circumstances, the government's initiative to optimize the waterfront infrastructure and develop recreational facilities and landmarks is certainly worthy of support. Meanwhile, introducing private developers to finance and execute the optimization project would also save a considerable sum for the public coffers.
The government's cooperation with the private sector has met with oppositions, worrying that the project would be "too commercialized" and "favouring the managing company." However, public-private partnerships in tourism projects are commonplace in places like Singapore, Beijing and Seoul and the Hong Kong Disneyland is itself an example of success.
The government should act prudently and keep an open-mind to opinions from different sectors. It should also balance the interests of various stakeholders and take their appeals into account in an open and fair manner, so as to garner support from the public.■Jeffrey Tse [ywc_jeffrey@hotmail.com]
隔星期三見報
Learning Point
Context（語境）
同一字詞即使詞類（parts of speech）相同，但在不同情況之下，可以有不同的意思。例如文中段三的動詞execute，具「執行」的意思（to execute a plan），但execute又可解作「處決、處死」（to execute a prisoner）。
又例如第一段的名詞appeal解作「吸引力」，而末段的appeal卻是指「訴求」。
所以要辨清字義、加強閱讀理解能力，往往不能單靠背誦甚至網上翻譯。了解文章的語境（context），能有效幫助理解字詞意思。
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