Hong Kong is the first choice for mainlanders who want to go on holiday overseas, while Beijing is trying to lure more Hong Kongers to the capital.

"The two cities will take more practical and effective measures to boost tourism development," said Yu Changjiang, director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Tourism, yesterday.

Becky Ip, director and chief representative of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Beijing branch, said both the special region and the municipal government will promote a series of programs to promote tourism.

The two tourism officials were speaking at the ninth Beijing Hong Kong Economic Co-operation Symposium, which took place yesterday and today.

According to a recent survey, 74 percent of interviewees said if they were planning to go on their first overseas trip, they would like to go to Hong Kong. Around 1,500 citizens in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou were interviewed.

A group of 1,000 people from Hong Kong, organized by the HKTB, arrived in Beijing on Saturday and yesterday saw the opening of the HKTB Tourism Consulting and Service Centre, in Sun Dong An, Beijing's old and famous commercial centre.

Meanwhile, the two cities have also begun quality tourism service (QTS) co-operation programs.

"The QTS scheme, originated by the HKTB as a standardization system ruling shopping and dining quality in the special region, has proved successful," said Ip, adding that the scheme makes it easy for travellers to find shops and restaurants that they can trust, just by looking for the QTS sign.

QTS-accredited shops and restaurants must pass stringent tests each year showing they provide genuine products with clearly displayed prices and product information and/or menus. They must also ensure front-line staff have superb customer service skills and possess extensive product knowledge.

The Beijing municipal government will adopt a similar system to enhance commercial and catering service levels; the city wants to become a key international travel spot but also needs to meet the requirements of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Director Yu said the capital city aims to further standardize the tourism market and provide a more convenient and reliable hospitality service in line with international standards.

According to the Beijing Investment Promotion Bureau, the organizer of the symposium, Hong Kong is famous for its tourism industry and is especially renowned for its catering and shopping. Beijing has a lot of history and a rich cultural atmosphere, which both seem alluring to Hong Kong citizens.

Statistics from Ip's office show that during the first nine months of this year, 9.17 million mainlanders visited Hong Kong, up 2.2 percent year-on-year. The number of individual tourists, as opposed to those in groups, was more than 4 million, an increase of 37 percent compared to the same period last year.

Ip said the per capita consumption of mainlanders on one trip was 4,355 yuan (US$538), a slight drop compared to previous years. "But that is because some southern Chinese people visit Hong Kong frequently instead of once a year, due to more convenient transportation and specific promotion programs."

(China Daily November 29, 2005)