More roads for Lantau?

Major tourist attractions call for better roads.
Source-http://bit.ly/aDXirY




Lantau draws urge tourist roads

Natalie Wong

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Three major attractions on Lantau - AsiaWorld- Expo, Ngong Ping 360 and Hong Kong Disneyland - have called for an upgrade of the island's road system to improve its standing as a tourist destination.

Li Yun-tai, managing director of Ngong Ping 360, said at the Lantau Tourism Forum yesterday that more than 10 major attraction sites on Lantau are accessible by public transport within an hour of Tung Chung.

"However, it takes much longer for tour buses to travel directly between tourist sites because a number of major pathways on Lantau are private roads restricted to residents," he said.

James Tien Pei-chun, chairman of the Tourism Board, said one in four travelers to Hong Kong visit Lantau Island, double the number in 2005.

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"Lantau is gifted with spectacular scenery and a rich cultural heritage, as well as world-class trade show facilities. We should foster closer partnerships for the sustainable tourism growth of the city's biggest island," he said.

Ngong Ping 360, Noah's Ark and Hong Kong Disneyland have launched a joint-attraction ticket offer for the first time in which visitors to any one place receive a 10 percent discount when purchasing one-day admission tickets for any of the other two attractions during November.

Michael Wu Siu-ying, chairman of the Travel Industry Council, said he hopes tourism on Lantau will be further boosted after construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, which is due for completion in 2015.

Chau Chuen-heung, a local resident and 10-year district councillor on Lantau, said she supports measures to boost tourism on the island because it would create more job opportunities for residents who cannot afford high transport fees for commuting to work in urban areas.

In 2004, a concept plan for Lantau was drawn up by Financial Secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen to provide an overall planning framework for the island's future development. New attractions including a boutique heritage hotel in Tai O, windsurfing facilities in Mui Wo and mountain bike tracks will be built on Lantau in the next two years.

Meanwhile, Tien said 27 million people visited Hong Kong as of October 10, up 23 percent over last year. Tourists stay in the territory for 3.4 days on average and Tien expects a 20 percent increase in the annual number of visitors by year-end.