Disney Views HK As Major Regional HubThe Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Michael D. Eisner said Thursday that Hong Kong will be a major regional hub of Disney magic."We view Hong Kong as far more than a place we're building a theme park. It will serve as a Disney creative base where we can develop new products and ideas for all of China and the rest of Asia Pacific, which is a critically important growth market for our company," Eisner said in a speech addressed to the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce. Eisner said that Disney, a storytelling company, will find many wonderful stories in China and the rest of Asia Pacific as the staggering economic potential of this region becomes realized in the years to come. The head of the "magic" kingdom said Disney will bring the "100 Years of Magic" celebration to Hong Kong with an ice show that will run from November 29 to December 9. He also disclosed that Disney will be opening a small preview center for Hong Kong Disneyland, the third international Disney theme park, at the end of October. "It will be located at the newly re-designed Disney Store at Ocean Terminal to help acquaint all the people of Hong Kong with the company's long-term plans," he said. Hong Kong Disneyland, scheduled to be finished in 2005, will include 5,000 hotel rooms and a 28,000-square-meter retail, dining and entertainment complex, directly creating a total of 36,000 new jobs, said Eisner. |
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