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Britain looks to HK for tips on attracting visitors to Olympics

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Britain is turning to Hong Kong to learn how to attract more visitors during the Olympic Games in 2012, despite fears many will stay away due to expectations of exorbitant prices and overcrowding.

'I think one of our big challenges, which Hong Kong shares and which we need to get right, is sometimes there is a big sense that normal visitors want to avoid an Olympic city because they think the hotel prices will be very high and also that the city will be full of a particular type of visitor,' said Tom Wright, chief executive of VisitBritain, the British government-funded body that promotes the country overseas.

'We have to make sure that we get our normal visitors as well as those sports-related visitors.'

As Hong Kong is hosting the equestrian events during this summer's Beijing Olympics, there are concerns many overseas and mainland visitors may opt to avoid the city during that time.

Although the impact is not expected to be significant, the Hong Kong Tourism Board is working to encourage visitors going to the Beijing Olympics to stop over in Hong Kong.

Those eager for some Olympic fever but who want to avoid Beijing are being urged to consider Hong Kong instead.

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