 |
 |
 |
| |
Thursday, March 3, 2005 |
|
| |
| |
|
The Walt Disney Company's Senior Executives Witness the Magic at Work at Hong Kong Disneyland
HONG KONG (March 3, 2005) - The Walt Disney Company's senior executives visited the Hong Kong Disneyland site yesterday to experience first- hand the magical progress of the very first Disney theme park in China.
The Walt Disney Company's Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner, together with President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Iger were pleased to visit Hong Kong Disneyland to witness the exciting and on-schedule progress of the Park's construction.
Accompanied by executives from Hong Kong Disneyland, Eisner and Iger visited Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Disney's Hollywood Hotel and Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel.
"When I first came here in 1999, Hong Kong Disneyland was a dream. And then by 2001, when the reclamation began, all of a sudden you started to see this land come out of the sea and it really became exciting.
"It is an amazing place, a place that will attract enormous, diverse vacation going clientele, people that come from far away and close by. The beautiful landscaping is fantastic, it transcends the boundaries of all nations. It is consistent with what Walt started 82 years ago with Snow White and the attention to detail and excellence. This is the place to be and we really look forward to the opening - September 12th 2005 - a long process, a creative process, a building process and a magical process," said Eisner.
Iger said, "Hong Kong Disneyland is the cornerstone of the company's strategy to grow in Asia, it is an extremely exciting region of the world with so many people and such vast potential. This park is going to be a great immersive entertainment experience for families, for people young and people old.
"What's nice about opening Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005 is that this is the year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Disneyland in California, a celebration that's going to begin on May 5th and we know it's going to peak on September 12th when this park opens up. This is the first time the company is opening a park in China. Here we are, extremely excited and extremely happy that the opening day is just a few months' away."
Hong Kong Disneyland will open on September 12th, 2005, and has already started taking bookings for its two hotels with the launch of the Hotel Reservation Hotline on February 15th.
|
|
About Hong Kong Disneyland
The Hong Kong Disneyland project was announced in 1999 as a venture between The Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong SAR Government. With the completion of reclamation for Hong Kong Disneyland Phase I by the Hong Kong SAR Government, theme park and resort construction began in January 2003, with the project now scheduled to open on 12th September, 2005. At opening day, Hong Kong Disneyland will comprise a theme park and two hotels.
The Phase I build-out includes a projected 10 million annual visitor Disneyland-style theme park, 2,100 hotel rooms, and an area for retail, dining and entertainment. The project is estimated to create 18,000 new jobs at opening (both Disney and other employment) growing to 36,000 once the first park reaches build-out. The Hong Kong SAR Government estimated that the first phase of the project will generate a present economic value of HK$148 billion (US$19 billion) in benefits to Hong Kong over a 40-year period.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
| |
|
