Judging Hong Kong by its Cover

Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 03.27.02 | 7:28 PM ET

If you can’t judge a book by its cover, can you at least judge a city by its cover? Hong Kong tourism officials hope potential visitors won’t. That’s because Lonely Planet’s latest guide to the city features not enticing junks and colored lights on its cover but the Bank of China skyscraper enshrouded in what looks like smog—not exactly an inviting image. Lonely Planet apparently isn’t talking, but CNN.com offers a report on the matter, along with a photo of the cover in question. According to the article, a local lawmaker recently lamented to a wire service, “Travel guides usually show pictures with blue sky, white clouds, clear water and fine sand.” Yeah! Where’s Hong Kong beach? Where are the curling waves? The girls? Now there’s a cover!