The Asian 1 has taken its toll on Hong Kong’s tourist industry,
2 of foreign exchange for the area. VOA Hong Kong
correspondent reports on the government’s efforts to revitalize 3 of the territory’s economy.
Hong Kong has been searching for ways to boost its 4
tourist industry. Efforts to lift the territory’s ailing sector
5 after the government appointed Mike
Rouse as its 6 commissioner for
tourism. Mr. Rouse says in order to 7 tourism, the government plans to strengthen its 8
and to enhance the territory’s image as Asia’s most popular
9 . Hong Kong is still
10 and great center for tourism, and
will always be. However, in the last two years, tourism has
taken 11 . Last year arrivals were down
23% from 1997 with 12 visitors coming
here. The decline 13 reduced travel in
the region because of the Asian economic crisis. Mr. Rouse says 14 to lift the tourist industry includes
promoting entertainment activities in the territory 15
arts and culture events. But what has made tourism officials most
excited are the efforts to 16 the Walt
Disney Company to build a Disneyland theme park in Hong Kong. Such a project
could attract 17 two million visitors a
year and create tens of thousands of jobs. While negotiation continue, several
Chinese language newspapers 18 that
Wait Disney has chosen Shanghai instead of Hong Kong. Mr. Rouse, who has been
leading the team 19 the Disneyland
theme park here, says the territory is still very much
20 . Disney official say they will decide by the end
of next month on where they will locate their second theme park in Asia.