ON TOUR: Hong Kong Boom Town
It may now seem a long time ago but on the stroke of midnight 1 July 1997 the world stopped to watch history being made when Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty. It is now a Special Administrative Region of the People”s Republic of China and operates under a ”One Country, Two Systems” principal of government, with a high degree of autonomy. Hong Kong retains its own legal, social and economic systems, which means virtually no change of lifestyle for residents and visitors alike. If you have not visited Hong Kong since it was British you will hardly notice the difference. The policemen have changed uniform and you can still fly to Taiwan. There are new buildings.
What would happen when the Brits left? Dire consequences were forecast! A communist take-over with the little red book emerging in some form once again were the predictions.
If the Chinese are anything they are pragmatic. If it worked why change for change sake. Others should note this one.
Hong Kong did suffer from a lack of tourists and business confidence in the immediate aftermath of the take-over. The mood in what is effectively a city state was depressing with grim forecasts. But things quickly began to move again with millennium celebrations (an excuse to party), sadly for the brakes to go on with the SARS scare in the spring of 2003. Some of the world”s greatest hotels reported occupancy of less then ten. And then suddenly it all began to happen again with confidence returning, the shops busy and Hong Kong”s indigenous airline Cathay Pacific reporting record passenger numbers for 2004. Figures published by the Hong Kong Tourism Board show 21.8m visitors last year an incredible 40% up on 2003 and an improvement of nearly one third on the previous annual record of 16.57m achieved in 2002. Cathay quickly showed its confidence for the future with an upgrade all round including flat beds, plus new aircraft orders.
If 2004 was a boom year, unless something really serious gets in the way, 2005 will be better still. With the opening up of China tourists are not bypassing Hong Kong, but just adding the mainland to their itinerary. The grand tour now includes Beijing, Xian (for the terracotta warriors) and Shanghai starting or finishing at HK.
Arriving at the former British colony, its fine new airport reckoned by many to be the best in the Far East, even better than Singapore. It”s quickly on to the train and downtown, with a free bus ride to your hotel at the other end. For your outbound journey the airport authority lines the luggage carts for the Metro”s arrival. It”s tidy and impressive. BAA ought to copy.
There are reviews galore regarding HK. Read them at your will. With this appraisal ABTN looks ahead for those planning a visit over the next year or so. Don”t forget this is the Chinese ”Year of the Rooster”. It is 4702 and makes an interesting comparison with the current Jewish year 5765. The ”Year of the Dog” starts on 29 January 2006 and if you are the street party type that is the date to put in your diary.
And by that time the Hong Kong Disneyland will be well established ,an opening date of 12 September 2005 now announced. The 126 hectare theme park, just along the coast from Hong Kong Airport on Lantau Island features two Disney-themed hotels (bookings already being taken), Main Street of course, and the Jungle River Cruise. The Chinese children will love the colourful animals just as much as their counterparts all over the world. The park is once again divided in three themed areas Fantasyland (the Walt Disney classics), Tomorrowland (Space Mountain filled with robots, rocket ships and the planets) and Adventureland (the home of the Lion King).
Somewhat nearer in the time scale is the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2005 in late March, now an established part of the Rugby calendar, Hong Kong hosting the event for an unprecedented second time. New Zealand are the defending champions but the tournament kicks off on 18 March with Kenya v Uruguay, perhaps an odd choice. All the major rugby nations are represented plus some unlikely countries such as Russia, Tunisia and Georgia. Watch out for it becoming an Olympic trial sport if London were to get the 2012 games.
It costs you nothing, other then perhaps a few pence on the (wonderful) Star Ferry, if you are staying on The Island, but one of Hong Kong”s finest attractions is the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront promenade, particularly in the evening when the view across Victoria Harbour is simply magnificent (as you can see with the picture at the top). It”s still being developed and includes the Avenue of the Stars featuring the film greats of Hong Kong. By 2007 visitors will also be able to see (and rotate in) the Ocean Terminal observation wheel, a slightly larger (naturally) version of the London Eye. The promenade is backed by a galaxy of hotels and eating places. We just have to mention the Shangri-La and its open plan Caf” Kool (left) with six distinct types of cuisine. A sort of five star ”eat as much as you like” food palace at half the cost of any similar establishment in Tokyo. The patisserie is not bad either!
On a more serious note, and opening in December of this year, Asia World-Expo is situated just one minute on the Metro past Hong Kong International Airport (the Metro is being extended a further stop) and comprises of more than 70,000 square metres of exhibition space in eight interconnecting halls. Over 20 exhibitions have been secured for 2006, including the ITU Telecom World 2006, the recognised 'Olympics of the International Telecommunications industry'. In many ways it is the perfect exhibition site, just by the airport, adjoining a golf course, and within a few minutes by public transport to Disneyland, where you can send your other half and children for a couple of days.
Hong Kong will continue to boom.
http://www.discoverhongkong.com