The tourism industry has always maintained an important position in the Hong Kong
economy with the foreign exchange earnings that it brings. Indeed, the industry has
experienced long periods of growth. For decades, the "Pearl of the Orient" appears
to have been a natural attraction to visitors from the West, in particular as the legacy
of superstars like Bruce Lee captured the curiosity ofmany who would like to have a
first hand experience of the mysteries of this city. We also had a reputation as a
"Shoppers' Paradise" in the 1970s and 1980s. Iii the period up to 1996, visitor
anivals recorded double-digit growth each year for over a decade.' At its peak in
i 996, the industry accounted for 8 percent of the GDP, employing directly and
indirectly around 330,000 Hong Kong people.2