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August opening for HK Disneyland
By Alfons Chan (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-06-23 09:42
As many as 30,000 people will visit Hong Kong Disneyland on its opening day,
with as many as one-third coming from the mainland, Commissioner for Tourism Eva
Cheng said this at a press conference yesterday.
The highly anticipated theme park will be opened in phases, leading to its
grand opening on September 12, she said.
The phased opening will help the theme park, public transport operators and
the departments involved in the initial familiarization period coordinate and
adjust their services, government officials said at the same press conference.
A 3.5-kilometre train line from an existing MTR station will be opened, again
in phases, from August to carry visitors to the park. And the government will
start inviting guests to test the park's facilities from August 16.
Chen said: "Hong Kong Disneyland is a milestone in our tourism development.
The arrangements for its phased opening and associated facilities at Penny's Bay
aim to ensure a smooth and well-coordinated opening."
During the first phase, starting in early August, the Disneyland Resort Line
(DRL) between Sunny Bay Station and Disneyland Resort Station and a section of
the Park Promenade, linked to the Disneyland Resort Station, will be opened to
the public.
Cheng said crowd control measures during this period would be a one-way flow
arrangement at Disney Resort Station, managed jointly by police, the park
management and MTR.
Contingency measures would be implemented when necessary and that could
include suspension of train services to Disney Resort Station. In such an event,
messages warning people not to proceed towards Disneyland would be broadcast at
Tsing Yi MTR station.
During phase two, August 16 to September 11, Disneyland and its hotels would
be open only to invited guests and franchised buses and taxis will start
services to and from the park.
Also, officials said the park's employees would escort the visitors to
Inspiration Lake Recreation Centre, a major attraction at Penny's Bay. Visitors'
entry would be suspended once the facility is packed to its capacity of 5,000
people.
The boat and bicycle rentals would not be opened in the early part of the
second phase, for commencement of these services would be determined by the
volume and pattern of visitors.
Phase three, starting on September 12, will comprise the grand opening of the
park and its hotels to the public.
"For a smooth and orderly opening of the Hong Kong Disneyland on September
12, the government has devised a communication strategy and contingency plan to
ensure that both the general public and the visitors are well informed of the
operation sequence and the facilities and services opened and provided in each
phase," Cheng said.
A communications systems, including a Joint Command Centre to coordinate the
park's opening, would be set up to ensure an effective and swift response.
Lantau District Police Commander Keith Lau said the joint command centre
would be set up at Penny's Bay Police Post with representatives of Tourism
Commission, Transport Department, MTR and Hong Kong Disneyland to monitor
activities in the area.
"Police would be the coordinators of the centre, with nine new constable
positions created to man the police depot and perform mobile patrol in the
area," he said.
Various channels to keep the public updated would be in place - including
websites of the Tourism Commission (www.hkdisneyland.gov.hk), Transport
Department (www.info.gov.hk/td/) and the Hong Kong Disneyland
(www.hongkongdisneyland.com) as well as enquiry hotlines and information
booklets.
A communication plan with key messages during each phase will enable people
to plan their trip carefully, Cheng said.
"The familiarization period will last more than a month. We strongly
encourage members of the public to take time to plan their visit, and make good
use of the communication channels to gather important information such as new
transport services and opening hours," she said. Built on reclaimed land on
Lantau Island, the theme park is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company
and the Hong Kong government. The park's opening is expected to provide a
welcome boost to employment and tourism.
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