DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
October 27, 2004 6:02 a.m.
HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong government Wednesday said it is considering building a second theme park in the territory, which could complement or compete with the Disney park which is to open in late 2005.
Hong Kong Disneyland, which is under construction on Lantau Island, is a central part of Hong Kong's effort to make itself a more enticing destination for tourists from mainland China and elsewhere. But the latest proposal shows that the government could well invest in other major attractions to draw visitors.
Peggy Chau, a spokeswoman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau, said a second theme park on Lantau "is one of the options we will consider." Located to the west of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island is home to Hong Kong's airport, but much of it is undeveloped or reserved for country parks.
"It is at a very early stage," she said. "It would be one to two years at least before any plan is put forward," given the time needed for gauging public reaction and follow-up analysis and planning, Chau said.
In a briefing paper sent to the legislature this week, the government listed a number of possible new tourism projects on Lantau Island. One site was marked as a "possible theme park."
Other proposed attractions included a golf course and resort on the northeast part of the island, and another resort on the southern end. There were also smaller-scale options for drawing tourists, such as setting up a museum, preserving a traditional fishing village as an attraction, building bicycle paths and watersports facilities, and expanding trails and camping in existing parks.
In an interview with the Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily published Wednesday, Financial Secretary Henry Tang said a second theme park would help Hong Kong accomodate a greater number and variety of visitors.
"If people between their teens and 30s who don't have families go to Disneyland with their friends, after once or twice, they might not want to go there every time," the paper quoted Tang as saying.
Tang was also reported to have said the government is approaching three U.S. theme park companies about coming to Hong Kong: Six Flags Inc. (PKS), the Universal Studios unit of General Electric Corp.'s (GE) NBC Universal, and Warner Bros. Studios, a unit of Time Warner Inc. (TWX).
Tang and his press secretary were traveling Wednesday, and his office said no one was available to confirm the reported remarks.
The government is the majority investor in the US$3.5 billion Hong Kong Disneyland project, meaning that Hong Kong taxpayers are paying for most of the needed infrastructure. Walt Disney Co. (DIS) owns 43% of the project.
Hong Kong is to launch a formal consultation process later in 2004 to gauge public response to the various proposals for developing Lantau Island, including the possible second theme park, Chau said.
-By Andrew Batson, Dow Jones Newswires; 852-2802-7002; andrew.batson@dowjones.com
October 27, 2004 6:02 a.m.
HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong government Wednesday said it is considering building a second theme park in the territory, which could complement or compete with the Disney park which is to open in late 2005.
Hong Kong Disneyland, which is under construction on Lantau Island, is a central part of Hong Kong's effort to make itself a more enticing destination for tourists from mainland China and elsewhere. But the latest proposal shows that the government could well invest in other major attractions to draw visitors.
Peggy Chau, a spokeswoman for the Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau, said a second theme park on Lantau "is one of the options we will consider." Located to the west of Hong Kong Island, Lantau Island is home to Hong Kong's airport, but much of it is undeveloped or reserved for country parks.
"It is at a very early stage," she said. "It would be one to two years at least before any plan is put forward," given the time needed for gauging public reaction and follow-up analysis and planning, Chau said.
In a briefing paper sent to the legislature this week, the government listed a number of possible new tourism projects on Lantau Island. One site was marked as a "possible theme park."
Other proposed attractions included a golf course and resort on the northeast part of the island, and another resort on the southern end. There were also smaller-scale options for drawing tourists, such as setting up a museum, preserving a traditional fishing village as an attraction, building bicycle paths and watersports facilities, and expanding trails and camping in existing parks.
In an interview with the Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily published Wednesday, Financial Secretary Henry Tang said a second theme park would help Hong Kong accomodate a greater number and variety of visitors.
"If people between their teens and 30s who don't have families go to Disneyland with their friends, after once or twice, they might not want to go there every time," the paper quoted Tang as saying.
Tang was also reported to have said the government is approaching three U.S. theme park companies about coming to Hong Kong: Six Flags Inc. (PKS), the Universal Studios unit of General Electric Corp.'s (GE) NBC Universal, and Warner Bros. Studios, a unit of Time Warner Inc. (TWX).
Tang and his press secretary were traveling Wednesday, and his office said no one was available to confirm the reported remarks.
The government is the majority investor in the US$3.5 billion Hong Kong Disneyland project, meaning that Hong Kong taxpayers are paying for most of the needed infrastructure. Walt Disney Co. (DIS) owns 43% of the project.
Hong Kong is to launch a formal consultation process later in 2004 to gauge public response to the various proposals for developing Lantau Island, including the possible second theme park, Chau said.
-By Andrew Batson, Dow Jones Newswires; 852-2802-7002; andrew.batson@dowjones.com
