EAST ASIA
Following the regional definitions of the Pacific Area Travel Association East Asia comprises The People’s Republic of China, The Republic of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, and Korea. Japan is the dynamic force of the region. Hong Kong exists as a trade center and gateway to huge China. Macau, a Portuguese possession, is an hour’s ride by jet-foil from Hong Kong, a scruffy Las Vegas of the Orient. Korea is forcing its way into the industrial world and actively pursues the tourist. Tokyo services by far the most air traffic. South Korea has Seoul, China has Beijing (Peking) and Shanghai. Taipei is the major airport for Taiwan (Republic of China). Manila is the gateway to the Philippines. Hong Kong is often used as the gateway to People’s Republic of China. Bangkok, Thailand; Delhi, India; Colombo, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon); Djakarta, Indonesia are the capitals of their respective countries and major air gateways. The island nation of Singapore is a leading tourist city for Southeast Asia.
American tourist visits to Asia are growing more rapidly as a percentage than to any other region. Japan is visited most often of the Asian nations, followed by Hong Kong, the Philippines, South Korea, India, Taiwan, and Singapore. Air departures for Asian countries by U.S. citizens in 1981 totaled a little over a million.
Air departures for Asian countries by U.S. residents during 1981 were as follows:
Mainland China
Taiwan
Hong Kong
India
Japan
South Korea Philippines Singapore Thailand
