6. F. 323
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that the Hong Kong Tourist Association consider setting up their own office in a more accessible location which can concentrate solely upon Hong Kong affairs. Tourism is the one subject we can peddle effectively in France without the risk of arousing further political animosity towards us. Any plans the Tourist Association may put forward to strengthen their representation in Paris or the provinces should be given sympathetic support by Government.
78. I was disappointed to find that the latest copy of the Hong Kong Innual Report available for reference in H.K.T.A. Paris office was dated 1971 and that trade enquirers who occasionally come to the office (as the only Hong Kong office in Paris) were referred to a Hong Kong telephone directory for addresses (without guidance) instead of being put in touch with the T.D.C. Frankfurt office by telephone. These are some of the smaller points that better co-ordination initiated from Hong Kong might resolve.
Italy
79. Of all the countries visited Italy was the most insular and inward looking and probably the most difficult area in which to stimulate increased interest in Hong Kong through the media. Italy has its own problems of financing development in the undeveloped South which makes our most positive overseas promotion theme, 'Investment in Hong Kong', a particularly sensitive one to present.
The press
is poorly paid and some organisations appear to resort to bribery as means of getting their message across (not a policy I recommend should be followed by us in Italy). It is the one area where the use of paid supplements might be justified as a means of increased media penetration and more in-depth research into subjects like Italian engineering contracts in Hong Kong might produce some useful free publicity spin-off. As with the rest of Europe, products publicity, which is an effective arm of the T.D. C. promotion machinery, can find a market in the technical press and should continue to be stepped up.
80. The information service of the British Embassy in Rome has cut down on the outflow of press relcases, information papers and films for general distribution and, as with other areas, relies heavily on personal contact with television producers and journalists (with appropriate entertainment) and on sponsored visits to Britain. Visits of political personalities have included Vice-Prefects from the pro- vinces designed to assist the work of Consuls in various areas. This is an approach to visits from Europe which we might consider adopting on a carefully selected basis and in relation to the needs of our own representative government, trade and travel offices throughout the E.E.C. If it is decided to promote political visits from Italy we should give attention on an equitable basis to all the Government parties the Christian Democrats, the Social Democrats, the Socialists and the Republicans. (See Appendix II for provisional suggestions of useful visitors) I believe we should try in the longer term to influence more extensively the political and economic press and our principal contacts for this task will be in Rome but Milan is the right centre for a straight trade activity. (Britain moved their main
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