This Access Asia report covers tourism receipts, arrivals and services. Hong Kong appeared to have lost its way in 1997. However, by late 1998 the industry began to recover. Tourism remains important - accounting for 5% of total GDP.
Tourism started up as a viable industry in Hong Kong in the late 1950s, which also saw the formation of the Hong Kong Tourism Authority. By the early 1960s, the colony received over 220,000 visitors annually and by 1972 a million a year came to Hong Kong. In the early days most visitors were non-Asian, however since the mid-1980s Asian tourists have accounted for approximately 75% of all visitors. Few countries have seen their tourism industry's collapse like Hong Kong’s. In a period of general economic downturn in the region and in Hong Kong, the tourism industry has been hit hardest. The initial blow was a loss in the number of Japanese and other Asian tourists and visitors to Hong Kong. To compound this situation an avian flu virus that deterred many visitors, the confusion surrounding the closure of Kai Tak International Airport and the opening of the new Chek Lap Kok hit the SAR's tourist industry.