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The following is the transcript of the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Henry Tang, speaking to the media after attending the meeting of Legislative Council Panel on Financial Affairs today (May 29):

Reporter: What are you doing to attract exhibitions? Are you doing something about that?

SCIT: First of all, I think it's very important that we do not jump the gun. It is because after the lifting of the WHO's travel alert, we need to go through a reassurance phase where we have the medical facts out, where other people, whether they are in the Mainland of China or whether they are overseas, are confident that we have SARS under containment and that they will not be infected when they come to Hong Kong. After the reassurance phase is over, then we go into the recovery phase where we will promote Hong Kong as a place to visit and a place to do business. I think business visitors will probably come before leisure travellers and that is why we are planning a series of promotional packages to promote the exhibitions and fairs that we have already scheduled. For example, the book fair, the houseware fair, the gifts and premium fair, they will all be held in July. Those are all very important fairs and I think through those, it will go a long way towards promoting Hong Kong as a safe and clean city to visit.

Reporter: What will the Government do to attract other exhibitions to be staged here?

SCIT: Of course, we will have a whole series of activities to showcase Hong Kong as a premier business centre, tourist centre and a nice place to visit.

Reporter: How about APEC? Are you going to attract some visitors to pass through Hong Kong?

SCIT: Of the 21 APEC economies, many of them will be in Thailand in coming October. We obviously hope that we will be able to attract some of them to come and stop-by and visit Hong Kong on their way to or on their way back from Thailand.

Reporter: Who will these people be? A lot of reports said that the Government is trying to invite people like Bill Clinton, what is latest on that?

SCIT: We are still in the process of planning a number of activities. When they are finalised, we will announce them.

(Please see the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

End/Thursday, May 29, 2003

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