AN AUSTRALIAN TOURIST LOOKS AT T-SHIRTS IN HONG KONG, 1998-10-23 (photo)

An Australian tourist looks T-shirts for sale along Temple street in Hong Kong October 23. The popular Temple Street market has extended its hours to the afternoon from today in a three-month trial to boost tourism. The market is traditionally open only from 6pm until midnight, and at its best from eight o'clock to eleven at night when it is packed with bustling stalls and people. Reeling from Asia's financial crisis, Hong Kong has suffered a slump in tourism, its largest foreign currency earner, and that, in turn, affects retail trade. Visitor arrivals to Hong Kong fell 21 percent in the first half of 1998 from the same period last year. About 3,000 hotel staff have been laid off over the past year. LC/SRW/CC/CLH/