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The Disneyland Report > Disney News > Magical journey Disneyland is set to boost family tourism in Hong Kong, writes Michael Taylor Disney NewsMagical journey Disneyland is set to boost family tourism in Hong Kong, writes Michael TaylorPress Release THE LONG WAIT is almost over. Before you can say abracadabra, Hong Kong Disneyland will be lowering the drawbridge to Sleeping Beauty's castle, putting out the welcome mat and firing rockets into the air to herald the arrival of the latest outpost of the Happiest Place on Earth. "The Hong Kong Tourism Board HKTB believes that the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, which will rank as one of the world's top 10 theme parks, will be an immensely valuable addition to Hong Kong's attractions," a spokesman for the board said. "It will appeal to visitors from all parts of the world, especially short-haul travellers, and will thus help us continue to attract a balanced portfolio of visitors from different markets." One of the most significant aspects of the park's opening is that it will help develop a market previously under-served in Hong Kong - families. "Designed to cater for families and children, this much anticipated international theme park will ... help us enhance Hong Kong's reputation as a family destination and reinforce its overall image and competitiveness as a preferred destination in Asia," the spokesman said. "The HKTB has been actively promoting family travel since 2002, and has more recently intensified its promotion in the short-haul markets, with the city's existing attractions and special events specially packaged to appeal to family groups." Don Robinson, group managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland, concurred. "Hong Kong Disneyland is a significant tourism development. It will help create an entirely new dimension of the tourism market - the family segment - and be a key engine of growth for the tourism industry in Hong Kong." The park will also enhance the city's attractiveness for some of its more established tourism sectors. "Hong Kong Disneyland will offer an ideal venue for incentive groups and corporate meetings, especially as it has two hotels on site," the HKTB spokesman said. "It is anticipated that more international organisations will be encouraged to stage their corporate events in Hong Kong." There are already two parks in the United States, one in France and another in Japan. While many of the most popular attractions at the other parks will be on offer here, the Hong Kong outpost will have its own character. Unique to Hong Kong will be Fantasy Gardens and an Intergalactic Spaceport. Disney Fairytale Weddings will be offered at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. "Hong Kong Disneyland will provide world-class quality family entertainment to guests with an exciting mix of classic Disney attractions and original designs specifically for Hong Kong," Mr Robinson said. "We will offer a full-day, one-of-a-kind family entertainment experience to guests featuring a carefully planned selection of Disney's most popular rides and attractions. "Guests will be able to experience Disney's signature entertainment, complete with rides, fireworks shows and parades, see a Broadway quality stage show and a 3D movie, meet Disney characters and enjoy a variety of dining experiences." The park is set to boost the local economy in several ways. "On the employment side, Hong Kong Disneyland will create 5,000 jobs upon opening, as well as another 13,000 indirect job opportunities across different sectors," Mr Robinson said. "Government economists also estimate that the project will generate a present economic value of $ 148 billion in benefits to Hong Kong." According to Lee Kam-hon, professor of marketing and director of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the long -term employment prospects are even rosier. "If we include the projection for Phase 2 and then the phase beyond, we may multiply the effect by a factor of three and make a total estimate of 54,000 new jobs over a period of 10 to 15 years," Professor Lee said. Travellers from the mainland will have the most significant effect on the city's tourism revenue. "If we assume that there will be $ 1,000 additional spending entrance fee, souvenirs, food and accommodation for the current tourists 10 million from the mainland , and 5 million new visitors from the mainland spending $ 8,000 each, we are talking about an additional $ 50 billion in tourist spending a year," Professor Lee said. Disneyland in Hong Kong could have another key impact on the city - raising the bar for service standards. "We are all impressed with the high service standards at Disneylands around the world," said Tony Tse Sze-ming, industry partnerships director at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. "We expect the same high standards to be applied here." While brushing aside worries about "cultural imperialism", Professor Lee admitted that environmental issues might warrant some concern. "The social impact of Disney, in my view, is largely positive. There may be some environmental concern. There may also be some concern on cultural intrusion. However, they need not be real concerns because if we do the construction projects carefully, we can beautify the environment." Hong Kong Disneyland opens on September 12. Return to Disney News. |
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