This article was first published on June 24, 2003.

WHO gives the all-clear

by Jimmy Cheung, Chow Chung-yan and Benjamin Wong

Hong Kong is ready to spend $1 billion to rebuild its battered image and lure back tourists and businesses after it was officially declared free of Sars by the World Health Organization yesterday (June 23, 2003).

Officials said the announcement had given the go-ahead for a campaign aimed at promoting Hong Kong as the best place for visitors and business in Asia.

The programmes include a $400 million tourism drive over the next nine months. Free airline tickets, hotel offers and restaurants discounts are up for grabs.

In a statement at 3pm, the WHO’s executive director of communicable diseases, David Heymann, said: “This is very significant achievement. Hong Kong, with its dense population and fluid border with China, had one of the hardest outbreaks to control. This success means that the world can now feel safer from the Sars threat.”