HK sees decline in RI visitors

HK sees decline in RI visitors

JAKARTA: The number of Indonesians visiting Hong Kong in the last
eight months has dropped by 43.4 percent to 70,082, from 123,766
in the same period last year, according to the Hong Kong Tourism
Board (HKTB).

HKTB said that after the spread of Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome (SARS), Hong Kong had no longer become the first choice
in destination for Indonesians.

Before SARS, many Indonesians had visited Hong Kong for
business and shopping excursions.

Early this year, SARS spread from southern China and
throughout the region, with cases of the disease also being
reported in Canada and England. The disease hit Asian tourism
particularly hard, following the Bali bombing in Kuta last
October.

The Hong Kong tourism sector, which contributed about six
percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), was
severely affected, HKTB regional director David Leung said.

As part of its efforts to lure visitors back to the territory,
the HKTB launched here on Monday a new campaign, Hong Kong --
Live It. Love It! --JP