Tourists and business people are likely to continue to shun Hong Kong, even after the WHO travel advisory is lifted Proposals to relaunch Hong Kong after the Sars outbreak will be ready within two weeks, Financial Secretary Antony Leung Kam-chung said yesterday. But Mr Leung warned that any publicity campaign would have to take into account the situation on the mainland. The relaunch could last for three to six months, he said. His comments came after lawmakers criticised the government over its failure to announce detailed plans on how to rebuild the city's image with a budget of $1 billion. Last week, the Economic Relaunch Strategy Group chaired by Mr Leung announced an approach to Sars, broken down into three components: first, responding to the crisis; followed by the restoration of local and overseas confidence and finally managing the recovery. Preliminary ideas include holding Canto-pop concerts to honour health-care workers, staging conferences on public health and arranging high-profile visits by international political and business celebrities. At the Legco financial affairs panel meeting yesterday, lawmakers said the proposals were too vague to impress overseas media and Hong Kong people. Some members urged the government to dip further into the reserves to boost the economy while others warned against spending too much on publicity. Mr Leung said he would map out the broad action plans after consulting lawmakers and industry representatives in the next two weeks. As the World Health Organisation had yet to lift its advisory against visiting Hong Kong, he said 'we shouldn't go too fast. Any premature relaunch efforts might be counter-productive''. He said Hong Kong's proximity to the mainland meant overseas visitors would continue to be wary about coming to the city once the advisory was lifted. 'The government should adjust the timing, the magnitude as well as the messages of the relaunch campaign in light of the outbreak situation across the border,'' he said. Mr Leung said one option would be to impress overseas countries that Hong Kong was carrying out stringent health checks on mainland visitors to prevent importing Sars cases. He would not be drawn on whether the government was prepared to spend more than $1 billion, but he said he expected businesses and the community would devote resources to the relaunch. The Director of Information Services, Yvonne Choi Ying-pik, said future overseas promotion campaigns would be aimed at countering negative publicity about Hong Kong. James Tien Pei-chun, chairman of the Liberal Party and Executive Councillor, said the government ought to take a leading role in the campaign, rather than just acting as co-ordinator. 'The government needs to demonstrate its leadership in times of crisis, just like the New York mayor after the September 11 attack,'' he said. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce unveiled a blueprint stressing the themes of 'reinvigorate, relaunch and rebuild' over various time spans. Eden Woon Yi-teng, chief executive officer of the chamber, said a review should identify how to rebuild Hong Kong and keep it clean. The chamber is leading a two-day delegation to meet senior government officials in Guangdong tomorrow. The trip is intended to send a symbolic message overseas. 'We hope that the visit will send a positive message to the international community that business continues as normal in the region despite the difficulties caused by Sars,'' the chamber said.
