Sunday, Sep 21, 2003
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By R.K. Radhakrishnan
The new buzz word is "go for it together" as a battered economy and a people who never cease to work seek to put the past behind and take on the new challenges that the administration has set for them — and itself. Right from the people who run local restaurants to the territory's airline, Cathay Pacific, and from the cab driver to Hong Kong's most famous non-resident, Jackie Chan, everyone is doing his bit to make travel, stay, shopping, eating out and transacting business an unforgettable experience for the traveller. "Hong Kong is back to its dynamic best," said the Chief Secretary, Donald Tsang, at the Golden Bauhinia Square, inaugurating the welcome-day celebrations last month, as the last SARS-afflicted patients were being discharged from the hospitals. "The Government has pumped in HK $1 billion for the relaunch Hong Kong campaign," says the island's Commissioner for Tourism, Eva Chang. "Some HK $400 million of this is earmarked specifically for tourism promotion while the remaining will go into sustained and systematic programmes and activities to revitalise Hong Kong's economy," she adds. For Cathay Pacific, which made record profits in March 2003 and had planned on a series of new ventures and expansion, SARS came down on it like a ton of bricks. "We announced a record dividend. We were looking at the future with great confidence," said the airline's corporate communications general manager, Alan K.L. Wong, talking to invited international media and travel trade professionals. "Then came SARS." In the next three months the communicable disease left nothing standing. Bankruptcies rose to unheard of levels, unemployment soared as retail, hotel and entertainment industries gasped to stay alive, and tourists and travellers skipped Hong Kong, even to change flights. Passenger arrivals nose-dived, and hotel occupancy went down to about 20 per cent in May. This is where Hong Kong's experience with the earlier South East Asian crisis — the stock market crash — came in handy. A few residents, who work with the media, said the island was quick to realise the extent and implications, had a shorter response time and was open about the disease. The island went on a ruthless cleanliness mission and put many systems in place to take care of any similar future contingency. The efforts of this damage control have just begun to pay off. July witnessed a significant rise in passenger arrivals, propelled by a `Hong Kong Welcomes You' campaign. According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board chairperson, Selina Chow, the provisional July visitor arrival statistics was 1.3 million, an increase of 79 per cent over June, and five per cent short of the July 2002 arrivals. "We are now well placed to emerge in stronger shape than ever before and reinforce Hong Kong's standing as the most popular single destination in Asia," she added. Mega events planned through early 2004 include an international musical fireworks competition in October, Hong Kong WinterFest from November to early January and the International Chinese New Year Night Parade early next year. Another major programme is the pre-launch of Avenue of Stars (a Hollywood-style walk to fame) in March 2004 to cater to visitors' interest in Hong Kong movies. That's not all. Visitors and residents are being tempted to spend more. A Hong Kong Super Draw, featuring prizes worth over HK $15 million, is up for grabs for those who splurge in select outlets till September 31.
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