IMMIGRATION AND TOURISM
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included a shopping survey which examined the attitudes of visitors to shopping. A survey carried out by the Hong Kong Productivity Centre established the high value- added content of tourism in relation to two major manufacturing industries.
Efforts by the HKTA to portray a more accurate image of Hong Kong as a tourist destination continue to pay off. The economic recession in Japan has brought about a drop in the number of Japanese visitors, although this appears to be a temporary phe- nomenon. While visitors from Southeast Asia showed an overall decline for the year, the main influence was thought to be the imposition of travel restrictions in Taiwan. Growth from other Southeast Asian countries remained healthy, as did the Australian and New Zealand, North American and Western European markets.
Public Relations activities were stepped up in North America with the aim of creating improved awareness of Hong Kong as an attractive, easily reachable holiday destination among potential travellers.
The introduction of lower air fares between Australia and Hong Kong, as a result of changes in Australia's International Civil Aviation Policy, has resulted in a substantial growth in visitors from Australia. In terms of per capita expenditure, the Australians were the highest spenders in the first six months of 1980.
The decision to allow Cathay Pacific Airways and British Caledonian Airways to operate alongside British Airways on the route between Hong Kong and London, and the con- sequent reduction in air fares and more direct routing with fewer stops, brought about an unprecedented increase in the number of visitors from the United Kingdom from July onwards.
During the year, major promotional campaigns were mounted in the United States, South America, Japan, the United Kingdom, West Germany, Italy, France, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand to increase interest in Hong Kong as an exciting tourist destination. These trade and consumer promotions effectively communi- cated the vibrancy, colour and culture of Hong Kong through film shows, audio-visual presentations and live cultural performances by craftsmen, chefs and entertainers.
A total of 2,196 people from the travel industry visited Hong Kong in 1980 from all parts of the world. They were briefed and familiarised with attractions and facilities by the HKTA.
Print was the main medium used in an extensive consumer and travel trade advertising campaign mounted worldwide. A new 16-minute colour film depicting the way of life of the people of Hong Kong was produced, along with six short films on the major Chinese festivals celebrated in Hong Kong. Nearly 7.5 million printed items were produced in 1980 for distribution in Hong Kong and overseas, some of them translated into up to 11 languages. They included a wide range of information leaflets, guide books, specialist travel trade publications and display material.
Efforts continued in Hong Kong to improve the service, courtesy and facilities that visitors are offered. The second phase of a tourism industry courtesy campaign was conducted throughout the year.
Public relations and publicity programmes were created in support of several significant events during 1980, including the International Dragon Boat Races, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Festival of Asian Arts. Representatives from the media were invited to Hong Kong to cover these events and to visit other tourism-related locations. A total of 1,040 media visitors were the guests of the HKTA during the year.
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