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The Asian financial crisis has taken its toll on Hong Kong’s tourist industry, the second largest earner of foreign exchange for the area. VOA Hong Kong correspondent reports on the government’s efforts to revitalize one of the backbones of the territory’s economy.
    Hong Kong has been searching for ways to boost its sagging tourist industry. Efforts to lift the territory’s ailing sector took a step forward after the government appointed Mike Rouse as its first commissioner for tourism. Mr. Rouse says in order to bolster tourism, the government plans to strengthen its overseas marketing campaign and to enhance the territory’s image as Asia’s most popular travel destination.
    Hong Kong is still a great tourist attraction and great center for tourism, and will always be.
    However, in the last two years, tourism has taken a big drop. Last year arrivals were down 23% from 1997 with 9.6 million visitors coming here. The decline was due to reduced travel in the region because of the Asian economic crisis. Mr. Rouse says a short-term plan to lift the tourist industry includes promoting entertainment activities in the territory along with arts and culture events. But what has made tourism officials most excited are the efforts to persuade the Walt Disney Company to build a Disneyland theme park in Hong Kong. Such a project could attract an additional two million visitors a year and create tens of thousands of jobs. While negotiation continue, several Chinese language newspapers are reporting that Walt Disney has chosen Shanghai instead of Hong Kong. Mr. Rouse, who has been leading the team trying to land the Disneyland theme park here, says the territory is still very much in the running. Disney official say they will decide by the end of next month on where they will locate their second theme park in Asia.