Hong Kong is the 424 sq mi gateway to Chinese Market with 7 Million people living within the territory now defined as the “Special Administrative Region” (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. Many businesses in Hong Kong have their manufacturing in Guandong province. Hong Kong’s strengths are in high-tech sectors and well capitalized banking sector.

Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997. During that year, Hong Kong experienced a major economic disruption. In the two decades since that time, Hong Kong has remained a vibrant economy with a relatively high standard of living. Although the population is small, businessmen and women are used to western business practices.

Whereas Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea all started out as low-cost, labor-intensive manufacturing bases, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea have all developed high-technology industries, whereas Hong Kong has become a services center for companies (foreign as well as those from Hong Kong) doing business in China. The structure of the economy has therefore changed dramatically over the past decade: the manufacturing sector contributed just 5% of GDP in 2001, compared with 14.4% in 1991, and in 2002 employed only 9% of the labor force. The manufacturing sector has been replaced by a rapidly expanded services sector. Wholesale, retail and import/export trades, and community, social, and personal services are Hong Kong’s two largest services sectors in 2002 (The Economist, 2004).

With the government averse to regulation, Hong Kong has traditionally lacked the legislative and institutional measures that are used elsewhere to encourage competition. Partly because of this, there has been criticism that the domestic economy is monopolized by a few powerful local conglomerates. For instance, just two chainsWellcome and Park ‘n Shopdominate the supermarket industry. These two firms are in turn owned by conglomerates, Jardine Matheson and Hutchison Whampoa respectively, which have a range of other interests in Hong Kong, owning, for example, major land developers.

The government has taken some steps to increase corporate competition in recent years, although its efforts have so far been limited largely to those areas over which it exerts a direct influence. New products can and do gain market share very quickly.

However, the composition of trade within Hong Kong has changed over the past 10 years. Hong Kong used to be an important intermediary for China’s trade with the rest of the world. Now that China has increasingly direct access to world markets, less of this trade goes through Hong Kong (The Economist, 2004). Instead, Honk Kong is getting a larger share of “offshore” trade that takes advantage of Hong Kong’s superior logistical services. But the value added component of this sort of trade is much lower.

Hong Kong operates an open, highly regarded, and efficient financial system that includes many of the world’s largest financial institutions. In this context, Hong Kong’s role as a financial services center will become more important. Even if China’s financial linkages with the rest of the world were to deepen, Hong Kong is likely to continue to play a crucial role as a fund-raising center for Chinese firms. But maintaining international competitiveness in the face of rising competition from other aspiring financial centers will remain a challenge (The Economist, 2004).

The Hong Kong of today has a strong economic recovery underway from the Asian stock market crash of 1997. There are good near-term prospects for rising growth and an easing of deflation with the free flow of goods, capital, people and information between Hong Kong and China. The GDP growth for 2004 is currently 4

Hotels in India have an infinite variety that you can hardly fathom. Much like the diversity of its national culture, the hospitality industry in India too has different ways of treating different guests coming from different parts of India as well as from all over the world. Hotels in India have understood that the only way to survive in the rat-race is by providing anything and everything that a customer asks for. The hospitality industry has taken up the arduous task of providing guests with an unprecedented level of comfort. Be it hotels in Mumbai or hotels in Delhi, the wish of the guest is their order. People stay in hotels for various reasons and the hotels are trying to identify the exact requirement of the guest in order to provide customized service.

The economic growth of India has had an impact on the hospitality industry too. Traveling is now no more limited to leisure tourism only. People travel extensively for the sake of business and the hotels are cashing in on it. Today, the utility of a hotel is not just limited to being a place for relaxation, it is also used as a place of meeting. No wonder, hotels across India are furnishing themselves with meeting facilities. Hotels in Pune and Mumbai, the economic nerve center of India, are making sure that the guests on business tours get the best of facilities and are not troubled by petty matters. To help them focus on the business, the hotels are going all out to make them as comfortable as possible. Food too is not a problem. Whatever your food-habits are, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, hotels throughout India will serve you according to your choice of food.

Making hotel reservation in India is not at all a difficult proposition or a cause of concern. Most hotels now-a-days have the facility of online hotel booking. With the click of a mouse you can reserve a room in luxury hotels across India. If you are on a tour and are on the look out for unadulterated luxury, there are many hotels in India from which you can pick and choose.

Eco-tourism is gaining momentum and hotels are upgrading their facilities so that people who come to enjoy nature do not end up confined in a jungle of brick and concrete. Various hotels and resorts in India are offering package tours and safari tours to the guests. Hotels located near reserved forests and sanctuaries are especially benefited by the prospect of eco-tourism. Indian hotels are offering facilities that match international standard. Know more about some of the finest hotels from across India from http://www.desiya.com

Angola: The Facts

• Angola is a country that is located in the south west of Africa
• Angola Borders the countries of Namibia, Zambia, and Congo. Angola also borders the Atlantic Ocean off the west coat and with a west coast along the Atlantic Ocean.
• Angola has plenty of natural resources; the most common being oil and diamonds.
• The capital city is Luanda, which is also the largest city
• Official language is Portuguese
• Total area – 1,246,700 km