ENG-1967 — Page 221

IMMIGRATION AND TOURISM

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the year, two more international airlines started flights into Hong Kong. There was also an expansion in existing routes flown by airlines serving the Colony. In addition to the 26 international airlines operating through Hong Kong, there is growing number of charter flights which add substantially to the inflow of visitors.

Fewer visitors arrived in Hong Kong by sea in 1967. A major cause for this downtrend was the closure of the Suez Canal. One popular and efficient shipping line, which has served Hong Kong for many years, has decided to discontinue carrying passengers.

A noteworthy addition to the hotels of Hong Kong is the new wing of the Miramar Hotel. It provides an extra 268 rooms, together with a magnificent theatre-restaurant and special banqueting rooms. The interior decor is completely oriental. During the year the 150-room Cathay Hotel in Causeway Bay was also completed, bringing the Colony's hotel accommodation capacity to 6,138

rooms.

It is unfortunate that, mainly because of the lack of facilities, Hong Kong could be the venue for only two conventions during the year. Approximately 1,200 delegates and wives arrived for the American Bar Association annual meeting in August and there were about 200 visitors for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Conference in October.

The need for expanding tour amenities in Hong Kong has been discussed at joint meetings between the Tourist Association, repre- sentatives of the Heung Yee Kuk, the Urban Services Department and the New Territories Administration. It is hoped that, before long, a number of sites can be made attractive for overseas visitors and there is a possibility that future tours may include visits to islands adjacent to Hong Kong and the New Territories.

During the year a valuable visitors' survey, involving 4,800 personal interviews with visitors to Hong Kong, was made by the Tourist Association. This survey, which will be updated annually, has been taken as a model by the International Union of Official Travel Organizations and has been accepted as an advanced specimen of research work by the Pacific Area Travel Association. The association also produced a guide book in Japanese and a bi-lingual