I wish to express my views on the tourist industry in Hong Kong. After signing the agreement permitting independent visits by mainland tourists to Hong Kong, both the number of tourists and the amount of tourist expenditure surged. Tourist-related businesses in the city have boomed. However, the hardware and software of the industry here have not kept up with the huge influx of cross-border visitors. The associated problems could in the long term ruin our reputation as a tourist paradise. The efficiency of the immigration checkpoints is far from satisfactory. About 2.09 million passengers are expected to pass through the Lo Wu border checkpoint during the National Day 'golden week' which started on Saturday. They are expected to queue for at least four hours at the checkpoints simply because there are not enough counters. The long wait is an ordeal for visitors. And it gives them a bad first impression of the city and dampens their enthusiasm for their trip. This inefficient immigration process will put off tourists, many of whom will instead choose our competitors, such as Macau or Taiwan. I am also concerned that there are not tighter regulations to stop unscrupulous tour guides from fleecing tourists. You read reports of guides forcing mainland visitors to buy souvenirs they do not want, or electrical equipment that does not work, from unprincipled retailers. Bad news travels fast. These unfavourable reports will damage Hong Kong's good retailing reputation and tourists will have fewer incentives to visit. To maintain a good reputation, we should recognise the problems that exist and correct them as soon as possible, before we start losing substantial sums in potential tourist dollars. Leung Ho-yan, Tsuen Wan