A woman takes out a bank note to pay a restaurant bill in Hong Kong on Wednesday. Hong Kong's leadership on Wednesday blamed months of Occupy protests as the economy fell well short of predicted growth in 2014, and warned that "prolonged political bickering" could do more damage to investor confidence. Photo: AFP

The Hong Kong government announced Wednesday that it would include one-off relief measures in its 2015 budget to help businesses and retailers that were affected by the Occupy protests, which ended late last year.

In his annual budget speech, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah unveiled HK$290 million ($37.3 million) in relief funds aimed at easing the city's financial troubles.

In an effort to reinforce the region's shaky tourism industry and the confidence of investors, the government will waive license fees for 1,800 travel agents, 2,000 hotels, 26,000 restaurants and street vendors for half a year.

Vehicle examination fees for buses, taxis and mini buses will also be waived.

"Prolonged political bickering is harmful to the international image of the city as a stable, law-abiding and efficient city. It may even dampen investors' confidence in Hong Kong," Tsang said.

Tsang also said an additional HK$80 million would be allocated to Hong Kong's Tourism Board to strengthen its promotional work in the coming year, such as arranging tours, organizing festivals and promotional activities overseas.

The 79-day Occupy protests, which began late September, paralyzed the commercial districts of Hong Kong.

Leticia Lee See-yin, a co-founder of the anti-Occupy Blue Ribbon Movement, told the Global Times Wednesday that the measures are reasonable and helpful, and reflect the government's concerns about affected retailers.

But she hopes the government could also provide help to rebuild the businesses that were forced to permanently shut down because of the protests.

"So far, I've reached about 45 retail businesses from 11 sectors that were forced to close down during the protests, including salons, opticians and sports equipment stores. The number of affected people is indeed far more than that," she said.