I am not sure if Hong Kong has hit the bottom of the recession yet. But one thing is certain: on recent weekends, if you want to dine in your favourite restaurant in a hot shopping district, you have to queue up for an hour or more. In Causeway Bay shopping areas, the crowds are back to a crawl. If you want a taxi, you need a great deal of patience. A cabbie told me that his customers have complained very recently that it is hard to flag down a taxi in rush hours. 'Hong Kong has hope now,' he said. I am relieved to see and hear the initial signs of a boom. Hong Kong seems to have become a poor old man, having survived so many miseries and hardships since 1997. The bursting of global economic bubbles, the move to China by manufacturers and the deficit alarm resulted in the highest unemployment rate in history. Worse, Sars almost killed Hong Kong tourism, the most important economic resource of the growing population of middle-aged people and one which low-skilled workers rely on. Companies and organisations have faced the reality of the downturn by cutting prices and launching a variety of attractive schemes to lure their customers back. More attractions have been promoted to local tourists. Thanks to the Chinese government's support, floods of mainland tourists will be coming to Hong Kong individually. I hope our frontline staff are ready to receive them hospitably. Another reason for the slight boom is the summer holiday upturn, which was delayed by Sars. Have you noticed that the movie Finding Nemo will hit a record for the summer box office? Children are a strong group of consumers and cannot be underestimated. I am sure that Hong Kong people will stand up even more confidently following the Sars outbreak and the July 1 rally. Let's be optimistic in meeting our future challenges. It is my motto that tomorrow is another day, bringing hope, opportunity and blessings. DONNA WONG, Pokfulam
