TNAG-0841-FCO40-1050-Visit-of-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-Chi-1979 — Page 89

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Towism file

Track with ChiSTRICTED

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Record of a meeting between His Excellen

Hack 206/3

Governor of Hong Kong, and Mr Lu Xuzhang, Director of the General Administration of Tourism and Travel of the People's Republic of China at the Governor's Guest House on 28 March 1979 at 9 am

Siraclehose,

Those present:

His Excellency the Governor Sir Yuet-keung Kan

Dr D.C. Wilson, Political

Adviser, Hong Kong

Mr T.J.B. George

Mr K. Sullivan

Mr Lü Xuzhang

Mr Wang Ji, Deputy Director,

Ministry of Foreign

Trade

Mr Zhang Yaohuan, Deputy

Section Head, Protocol Dept., Ministry of Foreign Trade Interpreter

1. The Governor said that he and Mr Lu had met before in 1964 at the first British exhibition held in the People's Republic of China. At that time Mr L was working as a Vice Minister of Foreign Trade. He presented Mr LU with photographs taken on that occasion as a memento.

Mr Lu said that he had only just been appointed to his present job and was still a pupil in the field of tourism. There had been great changes taking place in recent years and this was partly due to the Governor's efforts. The Governor said that in Hong Kong they were trying to move mountains and fill up the sea to make new land. Mr Lu pointed to the fact that development was now extending to the islands. He said that working in the General Administration of Tourism and Travel, what he was doing was closely connected with Hong Kong. The Governor agreed that relations in tourism were very important and this was why he had asked to see Mr Lü. The tourist trade in both areas were very closely related. There were at present about 14,000 hotel rooms in Hong Kong and by 1982 it was hoped that there would be 20,000. Between now and 1982 tourist traffic to China would probably expand enormously. It was desirable that Hong Kong and China should keep in close touch because if the expansion in China was very

There fast, Hong Kong would need to build even more new hotels. was a connection between an increase in trade and an increase in tourism. It would be possible for agents in Hong Kong to suggest that people should travel to China. The Chinese could suggest that their tourists should travel to Hong Kong.

3. Mr LU agreed that this was a good idea. Hong Kong was very important as a connecting centre for tourists. In the future many of the tourists travelling through Hong Kong would want to go to China. The vast majority of the travellers to

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/China