Hong Kong, a popular tourist destination in Asia, is ready for a new era in which tourism is expected to take off and give vitality to the rebounding economy.

"We have targeted Hong Kong's future as the premier international city of Asia, and we want to turn the vision of Hong Kong as the events capital of Asia into reality," said Mike Rowse, commissioner for tourism of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Rowse outlined the ambitious vision of Hong Kong and said the Disney Theme Park will help make Hong Kong a truly world-class city.

"What Disney gives us in five years' time is a reason for people to choose Hong Kong, their first choice as a family holiday destination.

"On the other hand, Disney gives us a kind of magnet for other types of family holiday attractions to be established in," he pointed out, adding that other entertainment companies may come to Hong Kong as well.

The Disney Theme Park, a landmark project hopeful of benefiting the economy as a whole, has given great confidence to the community and especially the tourist sector.

Hong Kong is also listed as one of the top 50 traveling places of a lifetime by the National Geographic Traveler, an authoritative tourist publication in the United States.

Tourism, one of the economic pillars in Hong Kong, now employs some 330,000 persons, or 10 percent of the local workforce and constituted about 4 percent of Hong Kong's GDP in 1998.

To strengthen this economic pillar, the Hong Kong SAR government has pledged to take various measures to enhance its competitive edge, including enhancing coordination, reviewing the tourism development strategy and developing the necessary infrastructure.

The SAR government has allocated 50 million HK dollars (6.4 million US dollars) to the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) since last April to help it in its market promotion.

In addition to the Disney Theme Park that will cost the Hong Kong SAR government 22.45 billion HK dollars (2.88 billion US dollars), the SAR government is considering a number of other development projects to increase Hong Kong's attractiveness as a popular tourism destination. These projects include an international wetland park, a new world-class performing arts venue and a 50 million HK dollars (6.4 million US dollars) " Adventure Bay" attraction at Ocean Park.

These projects, which are all market-oriented, will enhance Hong Kong's position as a world city and provide tourists with enjoyable world-class entertainment facilities and holiday resorts, said analysts.

Hong Kong's tourist arrivals, which have maintained a double- digit growth for 16 consecutive months, totaled 8,727,645 during the January-October period of this year, representing a growth rate of 11.8 percent over the same period of 1998, according to the HKTA.

However, tourism receipts for the first three quarters of this year stood at only 38 billion HK dollars (4.9 billion US dollars) , a drop of 3.4 percent from a year ago, as a result of Hong Kong' s lower costs right across the board for accommodation, services and goods.

The HKTA has pledged to focus its efforts on increasing tourists' consumption in the coming one or two years, said Tony Tse, general manager of marketing communications of HKTA.

To achieve the target, Tse told Xinhua, the HKTA will identify high-yield markets in China's mainland, traditionally the largest source of consumption for Hong Kong.

"We identify high-yield markets from the Chinese mainland as those who come to do business, attend conferences and exhibitions, " said Tse. "There is a growing market for entrepreneurs and businessmen who have high spending power."

"In the case of America, we are very much after incentive market, because a lot of companies will award the staff and send them on a trip to a more luxurious place," he said. "Traveling to the Far East is a good incentive program by a lot of corporations in America."

For the Taiwan market, the HKTA and Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways jointly sponsored a special package in October for Taiwan' s office ladies to taste the metropolitan lifestyle of Hong Kong.

Travelers are expected to stay in five-star hotels, enjoy delicious cuisine and go shopping at luxurious shops in Hong Kong, Tse said, noting that all these efforts are made to promote Hong Kong's status as an international tourist resort.

Tse said the HKTA is closely cooperating with the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) in consolidating the Chinese mainland market and has signed agreements with Sichuan and Yunnan to promote two-way tourism. It also signed accords with the Beijing Tourism Administrative Bureau to promote convention and exhibition visits.

In regard to the Disney Theme Park, Tse said it will consolidate Hong Kong's image as a top metropolis in Asia and help improve the service quality of Hong Kong.

"Disney is a world-renowned organization promoting quality customer-focused service," Tse said. "Disney believes in creating happiness for customers."

"In training staff, they are asked to be actors, not employees. They act in the way that customers feel welcome and at home. All customers are VIPs.

"All the ways of managing the business of Walt Disney are going to bring a lot of influence to our industry. This is very positive, " he noted.

Tse also highlighted the Disney effects on the whole economy, including a higher hotel occupancy rate, more employment and huge construction.

"There is a strong dimension to our tourism and the significance to do the Disney project will promote image, service quality and family travel," he said. (Xinhua)