Action hero Chan to help revive Hong Kong tourism

Action film hero Jackie Chan is starring in a television advertisement that will be broadcast in 30 cities around the world in a bid to revive Hong Kong’s battered tourism industry after the SARS outbreak.

The Hong Kong-born star will not perform any of his trademark daredevil stunts in the commercial, but will greet potential overseas visitors in several foreign languages including English and French.

Tourists stayed away from Hong Kong – the area hardest-hit by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outside mainland China – during the outbreak, which cost the territory between €3.6bn and €5.6bn in lost retail, airline and hotel revenue.