Leisure Tourism

Following the announcement by the Government and The Walt Disney Company in December 1999 of the development of Hong Kong Disneyland at Penny's Bay on Lantau Island, work on various fronts has commenced and is progressing on schedule. Reclamation for Hong Kong Disneyland Phase 1, which commenced in May 2000, was completed in December. Two major infrastructure contracts to support the development of Hong Kong Disneyland started in October 2001 and August 2002, respectively, and are expected to be completed in 2005. Construction of the Penny's Bay Rail Link by the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) also commenced in July. This 3.5-kilometre rail link will run from a new station at Yam O on the existing MTR Tung Chung Line to Hong Kong Disneyland. With the completion of the reclamation for Phase 1 of the park in December, the joint venture company between the Government and The Walt Disney Company will begin construction of the theme park superstructure in January 2003.

    Hong Kong Disneyland Phase 1 is expected to open in 2005. This world-class attraction will provide quality recreation facilities for local residents and international visitors. It will strengthen Hong Kong's position as Asia's most popular city tourist destination. Upon opening, it will occupy an area of 126 hectares, comprising a Disney park with four different theme areas, Disney-themed hotels with 1 000 rooms, as well as retail, dining and entertainment facilities. In its first year of operation, the number of tourist visitors is estimated at 3.4 million, rising to 7.4 million after about 15 years. Of these, additional induced tourists are estimated at 1.4 million and 2.9 million, respectively. Additional spending by tourists is expected to amount to some $8.3 billion in Year 1, rising to $16.8 billion per annum in Year 20 and beyond.

    The Government has continued to enhance Hong Kong's attractiveness as a tourist destination through the development of major new tourist attractions and the enhancement of existing facilities to broaden the range of its tourism products:-

• in July, the Government entered into a Provisional Agreement with the MTRCL on the Tung Chung Cable Car Project. Upon enactment of the enabling legislation and the completion of relevant statutory procedures by the corporation in 2003, the Government will grant to the MTRCL a 30-year franchise for the development of the cable car system linking Tung Chung and Ngong Ping on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis. The cable car system is expected to be completed in the second half of 2005, and will be a new tourist attraction in itself. At the same time, it will help draw more visitors to other attractions on Lantau;
• to expand the range of heritage tourism attractions, the Government invited the private sector in November to submit imaginative proposals to preserve, restore and convert the former Marine Police Headquarters compound in Tsim Sha Tsui into a tourism-themed development. The objective is to give local residents and visitors alike another opportunity to appreciate Hong Kong's unique cultural heritage;
• construction works for Phase 2 of the Hong Kong Wetland Park at Tin Shui Wai commenced in August. The Wetland Park, which will be Hong Kong's first major ecotourism facility, is scheduled to open in late 2005. Upon its opening, it is expected to attract up to 500 000 nature lovers annually, giving them the opportunity to appreciate the natural heritage of Hong Kong in a magnificent and original setting;
• the Government is developing plans for further tourism facilities, including a tourism node with a modern cruise terminal at the tip of the former Kai Tak Runway in south-east Kowloon, the strategic redevelopment of Ocean Park, which will be linked to plans for the development of the Aberdeen Harbour tourism node, and a heritage tourism project involving the Central Police Station, the former Central Magistracy and the Victoria Prison compound.

    Separately, a consultancy study on the development of tourism in the northern New Territories was conducted in the latter part of 2002. The study focused on opportunities in the area for green and heritage tourism.

Events Tourism

One of the key strategies for further strengthening Hong Kong's position as a premier destination in Asia is to promote and facilitate the staging of major events to build a reputation as the 'Events Capital of Asia'.

    The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) continued to spearhead the 'City of Life: Hong Kong is it!' tourism campaign, with support from government departments and the 18 District Councils. Five mega events were organised under the campaign, namely 'CLP Lights Up Hong Kong', '2002 Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Parade & Fiesta', 'Hong Kong Flower Extravaganza', 'HSBC Mega Hong Kong Sale' and 'Hong Kong WinterFest' which included the 'City of Life Street Carnival'. Other initiatives organised under the campaign in 2002 included the continuation of the 'Recommendation of the Month' programme to promote the district attractions and the 'Best of the Best Culinary Awards' to promote Hong Kong as a gourmet paradise.

    During the year, Hong Kong hosted a number of events of international significance. These included the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament, the Hong Kong Marathon, and the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin Racecourse, all of which attracted strong overseas and local participation. On the cultural front, the annual Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong International Film Festival proved ever popular, as did Chinese traditional events such as the Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival. A variety of district activities were also held throughout Hong Kong including the district festivals, district arts and sports programmes, food festivals, festive lighting displays, and traditional rituals and parades such as the Bun Festival on Cheung Chau.