FEATURE: "Hong Kong Is Really a Very Outstanding City"

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 ◆ FEATURE: "Hong Kong Is Really a Very Outstanding City"

Hong Kong is really a very outstanding city and one of the greatest cities in the world, Jamlong Ratanapan, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said in an interview with Xinhua.

"It is exciting to work and live here," he said, himself having been working here for two years.

"I like the business environment here and like the fast pace of it which makes me feel young," he said.

Ratanapan, 49, has been working for the Tourism Authority of Thailand since he graduated from university. His Hong Kong office's duty is to promote Thai tourism industry in Hong Kong and the mainland area.

"I travel a lot, to the mainland, to Macao and in Hong Kong and I enjoy it," he said, "It is a big area and Hong Kong plays an important role as the gateway of China."

There were 530,000 Hong Kong people and 690,000 from mainland visiting Thailand in the year 2001. Ratanapan expected the number to rise because of the short traveling distance and many regular flights.

With the economic development, people both in Hong Kong and the mainland are more willing to see the outside world, he added.

As a professional in the tourism trade, Ratanapan thought that Hong Kong "has done a very good job" in promoting its own image.

"The impression I've got from the people in this trade, whether they are from government departments or the business circle, is that they are indeed very professional," he said.

Ratanapan lives in Quarry Bay, one of the many beautiful beachsides in Hong Kong and likes to ease himself by walking on the beachside.

Another favorable way to easy himself is to meet friends and eat out. "I like Southeast Asian foods, European foods and Japanese foods. It is really nice that all of them are easy to be found in Hong Kong," he said.

"Hong Kong really provides convenience and accessibility to its residents," he added by taking Hong Kong's good transportation as an example.

Like many foreigners living in Hong Kong, Ratanapan likes the old trams very much. "I like taking trams, not only because the fare is indeed very low but also because this is a way of life which well represents the blend of tradition and modernity of this city," he said, asking "have you noticed that we had put on advertisements on the tram body?"