Five years on after Hong Kong's return to the motherland in 1997,the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region continues to be one of the favorite destinations for tourists.

Against the background of worldwide economic downturn,Hong Kong's tourism industry continues to boom,fetching handsome profits and indirectly boosting various industries here,such as the food and catering industry,retailing,and the fashion and transportation industries.

In 2001,with 13.73 million people visiting Hong Kong,the city raked in 64.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (US$8.24billion),compared with 9.6 million people and 55.2 billion Hong Kong dollars back in 1998, according to statistics from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).

And it seems that Hong Kong is bracing itself for even more visitors this year,as HKTB statistics revealed that in the first four months of 2002 alone,five million visitors have poured through Hong Kong,representing an increase of 14.2 percent over the same period last year.

Clara Chong,executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board,said,"While 2002 looks set to be another challenging year,our outlook remains cautiously optimistic.We are forecasting 7.9 percent growth in arrivals to 14.81 million and 3.3 percent growth in tourism receipts to 66.4 billion Hong Kong dollars."

As more than 300,000 people or about one-tenth of the population here work in the tourism industry,Hong Kong fetches a daily income of 176 million Hong Kong dollars,with each tourist spending an average of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars.This propels the above-mentioned industries in Hong Kong at a time when the world is faced with an world-wide recession.

The HKSAR government has mapped out a comprehensive blueprint and is determined to develop Hong Kong into a tourist hub.This includes the building of more sight-seeing spots,canceling quota for mainland tourists,and funding tourist activities.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board has planned large-scale promotion activities every year to spruce up the image of Hong Kong as the City of Life since 1998,the HKTB has invested 240 million Hong Kong dollars to promote Hong Kong around the world.

Each year,an international food festival called the "Best of the Best Culinary Awards"is held by the HKTB to provide an opportunity for restaurants of all types and sizes to showcase their gastronomic sensations to the tourists.This year,Hong Konghas also held its first ever HSBC Mega Hong Kong Sale focusing on fashion and beauty commodities to promote Hong Kong as a shopping paradise.

At the same time.the HKSAR government has invested 18billion Hong Kong dollars in constructing the Disney Park,while exploring new tourism resources,such as placesof interest for cultural tourism and ecotourism with a view to elevating Hong Kong's status as a destination for more systematic itineraries for tourists.

Clara Chong stressed Hong Kong will further strengthen its efforts to attract more long-haul visitors from overseas.

"We look forward to a continuing close working relationship with our industry partners,and to taking Hong Kong tourism to further new heights in the coming year,"he said.

( eastday.com June 20, 2002)