Hong Kong has become one of the most populous cities for visitors worldwide and will remain to be so, said Chou Liang Shuk-yee, chairman of the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA), February 14.

The city ranked the 14th place among the 15 most favored tourist destinations worldwide in terms of visitor number, according to a survey by the World Tourism Organization. Hong Kong is the only city on the list and the rest all countries.

Last year saw the first favorable turn in the tourism industry in Hong Kong since 1996 to earn 61.5bn HK dollars, a rise of 9.4 percent than the previous year. The tourist number hit a record of 13.06m arrivals, 15.3 percent up, being two times the growth rate as against that of the world average.

Hong Kong's attraction stems in its vivacity and movement. It is a city where the cultures from the west and east meet. Here tourists can visit historic sites and relics, walk along beautiful beaches, lull themselves in delicious food and shopping and horse racing as well. As one of the world-convention centers, Hong Kong possesses perfect facilities with a number of meetings and exhibitions held here and last year saw a rise by 22 percent as against that of the previous year.

The chairman is optimistic about the future of Hong Kong's tourism industry. She predicted this year's visitors would see an increase of 7.8 percent in arrivals with its revenue to rise by 8.8 percent, and with a series of promotions conducted we are sure to lure in more visitors, she says.

(People’s Daily 02/19/2001)