WHO lifted travel warning: New sample letter for Members to send overseas

Dear Member, It is great news to Hong Kong that on Friday, May 23, the travel advisory against non-essential travel to Hong Kong was lifted by the World Health Organization (WHO). But still, the damage from SARS to Hong Kong’s economy and its international reputation has been significant. So any comeback effort is neither going to be easy nor fast. But there is now a unity in Hong Kong which is determined to pour all its energy into this effort. We thank you for supporting our appeal to you two weeks ago to write to your business contacts overseas about the SARS situation in Hong Kong. Now once again, we need to trouble you to write a letter to all your own overseas business contacts and friends to tell them about the WHO lifting the travel advisory and how we are winning the battle against SARS. We have taken the liberty of providing you a new sample draft letter, which you can download from the link http://www.chamber.org.hk/SampleHKGCC.doc and tailor to your needs. If you can send this out to all your contacts around the world, that will help gradually build up confidence of the international community in Hong Kong. By the way, if there is someone in any overseas company who may be hesitant to approve travel to Hong Kong for employees, we would be glad to speak to them about the situation here. We may be able to call or correspond with them to persuade them to reverse their thinking. Let us know if we can help. Meanwhile, the Chamber, in co-operation with Operation UNITE (OU) and international and local chambers in Hong Kong, is hosting a conference entitled "Business after SARS" on Saturday, 7 June 2003 at the Regal Airport Hotel. The conference will highlight Hong Kong as the world's leading business centre and the "can-do" spirit of the city. We are hoping that this event will further strengthen our business community as a whole in its efforts to do “business as usual”. Thank you very much. Let us all play a part in this “marathon race” to rebuild Hong Kong. Sincerely, Eden Y WOON CEO P.S. If you have any questions downloading the documents or require further information, please have your staff call Heidi Lau at 2823 1202.