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34. Firstly, our image with the man in the street. Generally speaking the average European is no more interested in Hong Kong than the average Hong Kong citizen is interested in say Brussels or Milan. To the extent we have an image at all it is warmer and friendlier than I anticipated. Hong Kong's name has an exotic ring, bolstered by a spate of cinema and television romantic spectaculars over the past fifteen years. Basically, in the public mind, we are a 'nice' place oven if there is no specific knowledge or interest to bolster this impression. More informed members of the public, to the extent they know anything about us at all, cling to misleading clichês, such as in the field of textiles, where we still have a general image of unfair competition to home industries with little gencral knowledge of our other products. In the context of Hong Kong as a Colony, an antiquated colonial image persists with the false concept that we are holding Hong Kong against its will and should give it back. When I talked to people who had visited Hong Kong for the first time I found these misconceptions had largely disappeared. People returned to Europe with the impression that Hong Kong was larger than they thought; not as poor as they thought; and more sophisticated and liberal than they thought. This impression reinforced my view that more money spent in facilitating visits of the right people to Hong Kong would be well spent - because 'top' people toc share these misconceptions.
35. Secondly, it was quite apparent that any massive publicity campaign designed to increase the general public awareness of Hong Kong's real achievements and problems would be an utter waste of time and money. Few are interested in stories about our social progress. Disinterest would prevail and press releases would end up in editor's waste paper baskets. The positive stimulation of independent journalists and particularly television producers, on a personal contact basis where they themselves can be persuaded to have an interest in a Hong Kong story in their own right, is a different matter and any new programine designed to expand and improve our visitor facilitation services should take account of this aspect. General publicity must be directed along a narrow beam to specific targets where a mutual interest can be exploited between the originator and recipient.
36. This is precisely what the T.D.C. and the H.K.T.A. are doing in Europe and doing it more effectively than I had anticipated within the limited resources at their disposal. Trade and travel are positive products in which national airlines, buyers, importers, manufacturers, finance houses and travel agents in Europe have a common interest with Hong Kong and this interest can be, and is being exploited in our European promotions. They must, in my view, continue to be the mainstay of our overseas information programme and trade fairs and travel promotions should continue to be used as catalysts to spark publicity in a particular area. But on a selected basis they might be used on a broader base in future, with Government providing an active information element to further exploit a T.D.C. or H.K.T.A. facility. For example, the T.D.C.'s particinati- the Paris Fair in April could have been a
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