Hong Kong: Exciting, Exotic . . . Affordable

Last year it was the handover (from British rule to Chinese); this year it's the Asian economic crisis. Hong Kong, facing challenges of late, needs to assure travelers that things are stable. "Last year we had 10.4 million visitors, this year it's about 10 million," says Douglas Gautier, deputy executive director, Hong Kong Tourist Association. "That still puts us as the number-one destination in Asia by a country mile."