The number of hotel rooms will increase by about 14,000 by the end of 2006 and more than half of them will be medium-priced, Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands Michael Suen said in Hong Kong Wednesday.

Speaking at the Legislative Council, Suen said information from the Planning Department and the Hong Kong Tourism Board as at December 2004 suggests the number of hotel rooms will increase from 39,000 to about 53,000 by the end of 2006.

Based on the location, facilities and number of rooms to be provided as reported, it is expected that more than half of them will be medium-tariff hotels, Suen said.

This reflects the market's responsiveness to tourism growth and changing trends to meet the visitors' demands, he added.

The government will continue to monitor the hotel-room supply closely, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2005)