CO129-577-2 Financial assistance to Hong Kong Travel Association 15-4-1939 - 24-10-1939 — Page 25

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and on 24th August, 1935, I suggested that the scheme should be

abandoned. We have struggled on with inadequate support both

from Government and from the public and it has been a thankless

task. In this connection I attach a cutting from the Daily

Mirror of 13th December, 1938, which shows that the Government

subvention to a similar Association in Britain has recently been

increased from £5000 to £15000. Even this is only a tithe of

what is spent by, say, the Italian Government to attract tourists

to Italy.

In conversation one day His Excellency the Governor

remarked to me in this connection that "Good wine needs no bush"

but I submit that the good wine available in Hong Kong is very

little known throughout the world. Hong Kong is only a little

red pin point on the map of the world and was at one time

considered as synonymous with the "other place". Recent events

in this part of the world have however focussed attention on

Hong Kong and we are now becoming much better known. But

continuous publicity is necessary. I submit that even now when

we have a Chinese refugee problem there is still room for the

foreign tourist and that we should encourage his coming here. A

great deal of the financial and banking prosperity of Hong Kong

has arisen from the remittances through Hong Kong of the thousands

of Chinese who have left the neighbouring provinces of China to

work overseas. These remittances form a large part of the hidden

exports of Hong Kong and the new money brought to the Colony by

tourists is a welcome addition, for practically all of it will

stay in the Colony.

pus

I submit that the part played by visitors to a country

in the building up of that country's economic structure is not

fully appreciated. The falling off of tourist traffic in Japan

with a consequent loss of foreign exchange and buying power

abroad has had a material effect on Japan's financial position

to-day. I am not suggesting that we can emulate Japan's enormous

tourist traffic but in a smaller way the funds brought to Hong Kong