 |
 |
|||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
Advertise
In the Bulletin
From the Chairman
Legco Report
From the Director
Cover Story
Banking on Human Capital
Lack of right skills hurting HK
i-Perkin
Slower growth expected for
Hong Kong SAR economy
Face to Face
With
Cindy Cheng
Business
World
services leaders met to drive the global economy
Strengthening cooperation in the Pearl
River Delta
WTO Corner
Member Profile
Chamber Programmes
China's WTO entry will sharpen Hong
Kong's competitiveness
Hong Kong to be regional hub for
spreading 'Disney magic'
Students experience importance of
English in the workplace
Chamber WEC launched
Simon Says
The thrill of bargaining
Food & Wine
Wine
Business Lunches
CHAMBER PROGRAMMES
October 2001 Issue  Hong Kong to be regional hub for spreading 'Disney magic'  Michael Eisner tells business community that Hong Kong possesses all the three Ds -- dreaming, determination and discipline -- necessary to make theme park successful The Walt Disney Company is committed to Hong Kong and excited about the future opportunities that its third overseas theme park will create, the company's Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner told the audience at a Chamber 140th Anniversary Distinguished Speakers luncheon on August 30. "We see Hong Kong Disneyland as a very important start for us. ... We see Hong Kong as a major regional hub of Disney magic," he said. The 126-hectare (311-acre), HK$22.1 billion Hong Kong Disneyland project at Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, is scheduled for completion in 2005 or 2006. But he said that given the mammoth size of the project it was difficult to put an exact date on the opening.
In addition to generating jobs directly and indirectly through supporting industries, the first phase of the project is expected to generate a present economic value of HK$148 billion in benefits to Hong Kong, according to HKSAR Government estimates. He denied rumours that the company was planning to build a theme park in the Mainland, calling a report in the media "totally erroneous." "It is important to remember that we view this as far more than a place where we are building a theme park. ... It will serve as a Disney creative base where we can develop new products and ideas for all of China and the rest of the Asia Pacific," he said. But at a press conference after the luncheon, Mr Eisner said he could not rule out the possibility that Disney might open a Disney theme park in the Mainland. "China is a very large country. I'm sure someday there'll be a possibility to build another Disney theme park that'll be so geographically distant from Hong Kong it will not compete," he said. Given Hong Kong's small population, Hong Kong Disneyland will need to draw many of the Mainland and Southeast Asian visitors who come to make up the 10 million visitors a year that the park expects to host when it first opens. Mr Eisner said the long lines at cross-border immigration control points is one area that could be improved to facilitate Mainlander's travelling to Hong Kong. "I hope in five years, the lines are longer but they're quicker to get through," he said. You can listen to Mr Eisner 's entire speech on the Chamber's Web site: http://www.chamber.org.hk/streaming/me.ram |
When
that day comes, the park is expected to create 18,000 new jobs, and as many as 36,000 once
all phases of the park are completed. Mr Eisner said Disney plans to hire local workers
wherever possible.| About HKGCC | Member Services | Join Us | Contact Us | Advertising | Jobs |
|
The Chamber's Privacy Policy Statement Copyright © 1998-2008 The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. All Rights Reserved. |