XN000022-1980-12-03 — Page 9

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1980

8

+ IT ALSO SPONSORED VISITS BY HONG KONG BUSINESSMEN TO FIFTY-FOUR CITIES WORLD-WIDE.

+THESE BUSINESS GROUP VISITS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND REPRESENT A VITAL LINK WITH BUYERS IN SOME MARKETS WHICH MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE BE EXPOSED TO THE MADE IN HONG KONG LABEL.+

ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE YEAR, MR NEWBIGGING SAID, WAS THE DISCONTINUATION OF THE ANNUAL READY-TO-WEAR FESTIVAL AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE LACK OF APPROPRIATE EXHIBITION FACILITIES

IN HONG KONG.

+HOWEVER, IN RECOGNITION OF THE NEED TO PROMOTE THE GARMENT INDUSTRY, THE TDC MOUNTED A MAJOR FASHION PRESENTATION AT IGEDO IN DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, IN WHICH 79 HONG KONG GARMENT COMPANIES PARTICIPATED.

+ALTHOUGH SUCCESSFUL IN TERMS OF SALES, THE IMPACT IN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE WAS CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN THAT ACHIEVED BY THE READY-TO-WEAR FESTIVALS HERE IN HONG KONG, HE SAID.

HE THEREFORE WELCOMED THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT THAT A POSSIBLE SITE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY GOVERNMENT AND A TEAM OF CONSULTANTS WILL BE APPOINTED EARLY NEXT YEAR TO STUDY THE COST OF BUILDING A PERMANENT EXHIBITION CENTRE IN HONG KONG.

HE HOPED THAT THIS STAGE TWO CONSULTANCY WILL BE COMPLETED SOON TO ENABLE AN EARLY GOVERNMENT DECISION TO BE MADE.

MR NEWBIGG ING ALSO REPORTED THAT THE TDC HAD OPENED ITS 18TH OVERSEAS OFFICE IN PANAMA IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR.

A NEW OFFICE HAS BEEN OPENED IN MARSEILLE AND IT IS PLANNED TO OPEN TWO MORE OFFICES SHORTLY IN NAIROBI AND OSAKA RESPECTIVELY.

AS FAR AS TRADE WITH JAPAN IS CONCERNED, HE SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE TDC HAD EXPANDED ITS PROGRAMME OF TRADE PROMOTIONS IN JAPAN LAST YEAR AND WOULD CONTINUE TO DO SO THIS YEAR, THE RESULT HAD BEEN DISAPPOINTING AND HONG KONG'S TRADE BALANCE WITH JAPAN CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE.

+THE TDC IS TACKLING THIS PROBLEM VIGOROUSLY AND, AS A FIRST STEP, WILL UNDERTAKE A MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECT TO DEFINE THE JAPANESE MARKET IN RELATION TO THE ACCEPTANCE OF HONG KONG-MADE GARMENTS, HE ADDED.

19

-