48
NTIAL 1X 1
62.
(d) Tourism
In 1981, 714,000 overseas tourists
(including overseas Chinese but excluding those from
This was 27% Hong Kong and Macau) visited China.
more than in 1980, when there were only 564,000. Many of these overseas tourists entered China through Hong Kong because the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) has established only a limited number of air links between cities in China and foreign countries and the services provided on these links are rather infrequent, except for those between Japan and Northern China. On the other hand, there are direct air links between Hong Kong and many large cities in China, these include Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Kun-ming, provided by CAAC and an air link to Shanghai provided by Cathay Pacific Airways. Hong Kong, thus, serves as a convenient stepping stone for tourists entering China because it has air links. providing frequent services between Hong Kong and most parts of the world. In this respect, as with shipping, China is able to tap the range and number of services that have been developed to serve the
needs of Hong Kong.
G.F. 326
CONFIDENTIAL #B