Disney seems to have decided where its future lies, and surprisingly it's in the one major country that isn't convulsing from an economic disaster. A couple weeks ago we posted about how the Corporation is building an entire new theme park in Shanghai, China, with a projected opening date somewhere of 2015. In the meantime they're not exactly neglecting the Disneyland in Hong Kong.

It's quite the opposite in fact, as Disney is working with the Chinese government to massively expand the theme park, injecting half a billion dollars and adding three new themed lands: ]]> Omri 2009-11-17T17:14:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/7/17/7521/59076

It's a small world after all, and for the first time there’s actually some positive news to report about Hong Kong Disneyland. In the past, all we’ve heard about their situation is that no one is showing up to ride the rides and eat the churros, but that might be changing sooner than later. The park has gotten the green light to expand its offerings, and hopefully this will result in a steady stream through the main gates—instead of just a trickle.

The park has been approved for a cash infusion of almost $500 million. There’s a debt to equity exchange within the spending package, but the Hong Kong government will still be majority owner in the park; however, Disney will now have a little bit more ownership in their smallest plot. Over the next few years, the park will look to add more attractions within several new, themed areas. All this work should be done by 2014, so you'd be better off postponing your Disneyland HK vacay until then.

New areas like Grizzly Trail and Mystic Point will be exclusive to the park, but unfortunately there’s no real details about what these areas will offer. There will also be a land devoted to the Toy Story film franchise, and that sounds great to us, since we’re suckers when it comes to anything related to Buzz Lightyear and Woody. It’s nice to hear that despite the recession, officials recognize that this park has been a disappointment, and are trying to fix it up before it’s too late.

Related Stories:
· Hong Kong Disneyland Expansion Financing Approved [LAT]
· Hong Kong Votes for $468 mln Disneyland Expansion [Reuters]
· Disneyland Travel: Hong Kong Gets Aggressive [Jaunted]

[Photo: niallkennedy] ]]> kjb 2009-07-17T08:40:47-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/5/8/01319/29671

No man is an island, but Hong Kong sure is! Taking inspiration from similar campaigns in Chicago and New York, HK is recruiting friendly, multi-lingual residents for a "Meet the Locals" tourist service to begin in the fall.

When the "Hong Kong Pals" complete their training, or reprogramming to possibly take you to the best places to drop some Hong Kong dollars, you'll be able to walk up to one of the main Tourism Centers such as the office at the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Tsa Tsui and request a "Pal" based on your area of interest. Is your stomach hungry for unfamiliar food with no English translation? They'll have a Hong Kong cuisine expert. Have a thing for Cantonese Opera? Maybe you and your new "Pal" can take in a show together.

Again, this all goes back to what Hong Kong tourism is calling the "financial tsunami," or what we just plain call the economy. Hong Kong has decided to promote their living culture as their "principal 'soft' asset" now that all Asian cities are vying for tourist dollars. Let's just hope that things that don't take a turn for the worse and your Pal starts directing you to jewelry shops and expat bars; that's what we have cruise ships for.

Related Stories:
· Hong Kong Launches Meet the Locals Programme [AsiaTravelTips]
· HKTB Launches Meet-the-Locals Volunteer Programme [Press Release]
· Hong Kong Coverage [Jaunted] ]]> JetSetCD 2009-05-08T09:16:51-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/26/224640/911

The general conscience about “Push” is that overall the movie sucked but its location was pretty cool. The film stars Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans as two young Americans with special abilities, searching for a girl that can help them defend themselves against a shady U.S. government agency called Division. Set and filmed entirely in Hong Kong, the gorilla-style film techniques used to capture the authenticity of the city totally pay off. If you find yourself wanting to catch the next flight to Hong Kong after watching "Push" (which you will) here’s what to do when you get there.

Where to Stay:
The Langham Hong Kong is the epitome of luxury. They recently renovated all 270 rooms to include amenities like 37-inch flat-screen TVs, silk drapes, burled timber and leather walls, large open bathrooms, even larger living rooms, DVD players and iHome audio docks. You can even make a reservation via Skype. The best part though, has to be their current prices. Right now, room rates start at $203 a night. It looks like the recession really is affecting everyone. ]]> cmb 2009-02-27T09:11:24-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/6/135310/2983

Culture shock has never been a problem for us; we're cool with whatever is the norm in a new destination and most of the time join in with gusto. But this week in Hong Kong, we've faced a huge challenge in embracing something so dear to the locals: the ubiquity of shopping malls.

In the main districts, you have something like a 95% chance of having to at least stroll through a mall to get where you are going. If you aren't inside of a mall, then you are on top of one, next to one, underneath one, or even using one as a landmark for orienting yourself in the city.

We've unwittingly hit a higher number of malls than days we've been in Hong Kong, and it doesn't look like the barrage of consumerism will be letting up soon. Since we hail from a Midwestern city that of course loves their Auntie Anne's pretzels and Abercrombie, we were at first unfazed by the shopping glut in HK.

After our fifth megaplex in two days, however, our patience with escalators and perfume counters began to wear thin and we stepped back to observe the scene. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-02-06T15:16:00-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/2/4/95959/22106

We may still be early into our trip to Hong Kong, but that doesn't mean we can't dive right in to dim sum. While cruising for dumplings in the largest mall in Hong Kong, Harbour City, we were surprised to find something else cruising right outside: a couple of cruise ships docking for the day. The closest to us, the 800-passenger Costa Allegra, plies these waters all the time and so conveniently has her name printed in Chinese characters on the bow.

Even though the weather in HK isn't too bad at 73-degrees and sunny, the Allegra is heading out tomorrow for the far more tropical climes of Da Nang and Halong Bay, Vietnam. To make it to their cruise, however, the ship's passengers must navigate the labyrinth of luxury stores inside of the Harbour City mall, and hope that they don't blow their vacation money before even stepping into the boat's duty-free deathtrap.

Want more real-time reports from Hong Kong? Follow Jaunted on Twitter!

Related Stories:
· Five Reasons We Might Actually Take a Cruise in 2009 [Jaunted]
· Cruises coverage [Jaunted]
]]> JetSetCD 2009-02-04T10:24:05-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/12/10/52015/747

And next on our list of unlikely places to spend Christmas … after you've soaked up the Christmas soul of Seoul you can move on to Hong Kong. They're putting on their annual Winterfest that's meant to encourage us all to spend the Christmas season spending Hong Kong dollars in all their great shopping malls.

Well, that's not exactly what they're saying. The Hong Kong Tourism Board wants us to see their ten-story high Christmas tree and perhaps best of all, get into the Christmas carol singing. Spread across various parts of Hong Kong, it sounds like you won't be able to turn around without tripping over a carol singer and they'll also be on open-air buses, trams and trucks.

Do you ever get the feeling these tourist boards might just be conning us by hyping the Christmas spirit of their city? Whatever. We're suckers for a good bit of Christmas spirit so we'll sing along if a Hong Kong caroler comes close.

Related Stories:
· Hong Kong Winterfest [Official Site]
· Seoul Says Celebrate Here [Jaunted]
· Hong Kong Travel Guide [Jaunted]

[Photo: Gerald Garcia] ]]> amandak 2008-12-10T09:35:27-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/