36 Hours in Hong Kong
New York Times, April 8, 2007 – HONG KONG’s newest tourist attraction, a 25-minute cable-car ride over the rugged green hills of Lantau Island, says a lot about this former British colony. Ngong Ping 360 demonstrates Hong Kong’s fascination with travel and technology; the skyrail’s hilltop terminus, an ersatz Chinese village, plays to local passions for eating, shopping and taking pictures. From there, it is a short walk to the Po Lin monastery’s 112-foot-tall bronze statue of Buddha seated on a lotus throne, an expression of Hong Kong’s fundamental Chineseness. This crazy mix of commerce and culture — plus sublime modern architecture, great food, nonstop nightlife and amazing views — makes Hong Kong, 10 years after its transition from British to Chinese rule, still one of the world’s biggest tourist draws.
4m Flyers Through HK Airport
Shanghai Daily May 14, 2007 – Hong Kong International Airport, Asia’s third-busiest airfield, handled four million passengers last month, a six percent increase from April 2006, the government-owned operator said yesterday.The airport set a record with more than 890 flight movements on April 5, as people traveled for the Easter holidays and the Tomb Sweeping Day, Airport Authority Hong Kong said.The airport handled 299,000 tons of cargo in April, up 1.4 percent from April 2006. Aircraft landings and take-offs increased 3.9 percent to 24,460 movements, Bloomberg News said.
Visitors to HK Expected to Grow 4.6% in 2007
Xinhua News, Feb. 8, 2007 – The board’s Chairwoman Selina Chow said the projection aligns with the World Tourism Organization’s forecast that global tourism will grow by about 4 percent in 2007. “As Hong Kong has already achieved a huge visitor base, we should not focus solely on the quantity, that is, arrival figures, but also the quality or yield of our investment,” Chow said. To maximize the return, the board will adopt a three-pronged approach to promote Hong Kong. It will leverage the opportunities created by the Chinese mainland to attract more overseas arrivals; continue to concentrate on meeting, convention and exhibition business, and family visitors; and highlight Hong Kong’s unique living culture.
Traveler Arrivals Jump in Hong Kong
Shanghai Daily May 30, 2006 – Hong Kong’s tourist arrivals rose 9.5 percent in April from a year earlier to 2.1 million, helped by an increase in visitors from China, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said. The number of people from the Chinese mainland visiting the city climbed 12.4 percent to 1.1 million, the association said on Saturday. Tourists from the Philippines and Indonesia showed the strongest growth in numbers, surging 37 percent and 18 percent respectively. The tourism board forecasts a record 27 million visitors this year, with the number boosted by new attractions such as Hong Kong Disneyland. Theaverage cost of a hotel room in Hong Kong increased 16 percent from a year earlier to HK$1,264 (US$163) a night.
Hong Kong Still Top Shopping Center in Asia
Chinanews.cn Aug. 27, 2005 – A recent survey conducted by Mastercard showed that Hong Kong kept its leading position in Asia to be the best shopping place due to its geographical locations and various top-branded products from Europe and the United States. By 2011, tourism revenue from shopping in Hong Kong is expected to reach 11 billion US dollars from the 6 billion US dollars in 2006. The survey revealed that Hong Kong was a favorite destination for mainland visitors. The second on the list is Bangkok. Shopping revenue in the city will be 2 billion US dollars in 2006 and will reach 3.5 billion US dollars six years later. Visitors like the city for the “unique experience in Thailand”. However, transportation remains an obstacle for visitors to the city. Seoul ranks third ahead of Singapore. The Korean capital attracts visitors for its ethnic feature and the Singapore boasts for its top-class retailers.
Hong Kong Disneyland Embraced Its First Guests
Chinanews.cn June 13, 2005 – According to Hong Kong’s Oriental Daily, after six years of preparation and construction, the Hong Kong Disneyland has started the 100-day countdown to its opening. Yesterday the Hong Kong Disneyland spent 600,000 HKD and prepared a “Thanksgiving Day” to entertain for free 2,000 guests, which consisted of Disneyland’s dream team of engineers and their family members. All the guests enjoyed themselves in the park for seven hours and were reluctant to leave until dusk.
Green light for Macau, Hong Kong bridge
CNN.com Mar. 8, 2005 – Promoters of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge have proposed an enormous structure stretching 29 km (18 miles). The newspaper said it would directly connect Hong Kong and Macau to booming ports in southern China’s Pearl River Delta region. Private investment would be allowed to have a “primary role” in funding the 31.5 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) project.
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[Source: chinatour.com]