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IMMIGRATION AND TOURISM

More visitors came from Japan than any other country, comprising 27.6 per cent of the total. South-east Asia followed with 24 per cent, the United States with 14.5 per cent, Western Europe with 12.5 per cent, and Australia/New Zealand with 10.1 per cent.

Hong Kong Tourist Association

The activities of the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) fall into four broad areas - promoting Hong Kong as a tourist destination to overseas markets; providing information to visitors once they are in Hong Kong; co-ordinating the industry's activities; and working for the improvement and development of Hong Kong's tourism industry for the greater enjoyment of visitors and benefit of local residents.

The HKTA has staff stationed in many parts of the world. The head office is in Connaught Centre, on the waterfront on Hong Kong Island. There are nine overseas representative offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, New York, San Francisco, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Sydney and Singapore. The HKTA also is represented by Cathay Pacific Airways throughout South-east Asia and in Japan, the United States, Australia and Bahrain. Information offices in Hong Kong are located at Hong Kong International Airport, at the Star Ferry concourse in Kowloon and in the Government Publications Centre in the General Post Office building on Hong Kong Island. An information counter also is located at the World Trade Centre in Causeway Bay.

A Membership Department is responsible for liaison with members of the associa- tion and also deals with any complaints that visitors may have about goods or services. Membership in 1977 was 1,224, of whom 279 were ordinary members and 945 were associate members.

A number of publications are produced by the HKTA. Some are for the interna- tional travel trade and for the local tourist industry; others are for visitors. They include a range of 12 information leaflets, a guidebook, maps and many special publications - some of which have been translated into Japanese, Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Malay, Thai and Arabic.

Promotions

The HKTA's promotional work during 1977 focused on a full schedule of travel trade and consumer promotions, as well as expanded consumer, travel trade and co-operative advertising campaigns. |

The 1977 Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA) Conference, held in Hong Kong in February, was one of the outstanding travel events of the year for the local tourism industry. The conference took place in the Hong Kong Convention Centre and was attended by 2,000 travel industry members from Pacific countries. PATA delegates spent an estimated $5 million during their three-day stay.

Another important tourism event was a promotion mounted in the Middle East in October. It covered Bahrain, Kuwait and Dubai, and took the form of gala dinner shows in leading hotels and sales calls to top travel agents. The promotion aimed to introduce Hong Kong as an exciting and sophisticated travel and holiday destination, with a wide variety of attractions and facilities.

A two-week tourism mission to Japan in August visited five key cities, including Tokyo and Osaka. There were audio-visual presentations, seminars, luncheons and receptions at which the Hong Kong tourist industry delegation met members of the