Santa awaiting families, couples will find romance

The Nation/Asia News Network, Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Tourism Board has families in mind between the coming festive season and Disneyland's much-awaited opening next year, and will be staging a variety of activities for them - and for couples too.

The third annual Hong Kong WinterFest which began late last month until Jan. 2 is expected to boost visitor arrivals by more than 13 percent, to 2.49 million, says the board's executive director, Clara Chong.

The city has already hosted more visitors this year than in the entire 12 months of 2003, she notes.

"With the added appeal of WinterFest, we're confident about revising our forecast for 2004 from 20.5 million to 21.3 million."

Hong Kong will take the chill off the cool season with warm- hearted attractions under a theme of "Love and Care".

"Leveraging on the Christmas spirit of love and care, we will add more family-friendly elements, which will help us reinforce Hong Kong's reputation as a family destination and pave way for the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland," Chong says.

Statue Square in Hong Kong's central business district will become a Nordic Santa's Town, with the city's super-tall Dazzling Christmas Tree and a romantic Mistletoe Boulevard nearby.

Santa's Town will imitate the scenic atmosphere of a European Yuletide with themed settings like the Snowy Chapel, Santa's Lodge, Santa's Post Office, Santa's Workshop and a Charity Corner.

The chapel will host an opening ceremony with fun performances on Nov. 26, and Santa himself will be in residence at his lodge from 6 to 11pm nightly.

Visitors can send best wishes to family and friends at Santa's Post Office, either using mobile SMS or the Internet, or hanging their messages on any of the 300 two-meter wish-making trees. Santa's Workshop invites children to spend weekends and public holidays taking bakery classes to prepare seasonal goodies like gingerbread cookies.

The Charity Corner will sell gift items and other Christmas merchandise to raise funds for the Make a Wish Foundation. As in the past two years, the centerpiece of the show will be Hong Kong's tallest Christmas tree on the harbourfront.

The 35-meter, 12-storey-tall tree is designed by "experts" overseas, one of whom has previously worked on Christmas decorations for the White House.

The tree will offer a sound and light performance every 30 minutes every night.

Mistletoe Boulevard, from the Star Ferry Pier through a covered walkway to Statue Square adds a touch of romance to the Love and Care theme.

Other WinterFest activities include the 29th Hong Kong Products Expo in Victoria Park, the Jockey Club's Horses Across Hong Kong and International Races on Dec. 12, Christmas Sensation at Ocean Park and the New Year Countdown Carnival.

Between Nov. 26 and 28, pyrotechnics will be added to the nightly Symphony of Lights over the harbor.

As well as Disneyland, Hong Kong will next year open a new cable-car to take visitors to the Giant Buddha. The city also has a new eco-tourism attraction: Hong Kong Wetland Park at the Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve.

There's be no fewer than 16 new hotels opening next year, including Express by Holiday Inn Causeway Bay and Four Seasons Hotels and Suites. They'll collectively boost the city's room tally to 47,900.

AsiaWorld-Expo will be a new international exhibition center alongside the airport, boasting 70,000 square metres and its own railway station on the Airport Express Line. The first phrase of construction begins in late 2005.