“There would be many tourists - since Hong Kong Disneyland is set on Lantau Island, very close to Macao - I estimate that most people from other places would visit Macao after they had gone to Hong Kong Disneyland,” said Mr. Fung Kwan, programme Co-ordinator of Economics at the University of Macau.

In 2005, there will be an international Disneyland theme park and destination resort in Hong Kong. Its design was based on the California Disneyland's mode, with the design elements of Tokyo and Paris ones integrated. It is said not only to show the uniqueness of American culture but also to add some distinguishing Chinese features in it.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government invested a total amount of 22.45 billion Hong Kong dollars in the Hong Kong Disneyland project. It is expected to attract 3.4 million incoming tourists in its first year, rising to 7.3 million after 15 years.

“The demand for Hong Kong Disneyland is big since Chinese people is gradually getting affluent, and most people have not been to Disneyland or any international theme park,” said Mr. Kwan.

Besides, the Hong Kong SAR government is expected an estimated $148 billion boost to the economy over a 40 year period in terms of value added, for example, employment income and profits for small and large companies in Hong Kong.

Because of the large investment of Disneyland, its attraction is big, which can also bring Macao prosperity. At that time, the construction of casinos in Macao would be finished. Mr. Kwan mentioned that tourists from Pearl River Delta would go to Hong Kong Disneyland after they had visited Macao and its casinos, or vice versa.

On the other hand, Disney is planning to open a Shanghai theme park by 2008, just three years after the Hong Kong theme park opens. But Disney does not see there will be a conflict. It says, “China, like the United States, is big enough for two theme parks, and it would not let the Hong Kong theme park fail.”

Mr. Kwan also said, “China has large population. If it is true to have a Disneyland in Shanghai, not in Guangzhou, there will be no conflict since the target audiences of Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland are different. For Hong Kong Disneyland, its main target audiences are those people living near the Pearl River Delta; for Shanghai Disneyland, its main target audiences are those people living near the Changjiang River's middle and lower reaches.

Mr. Kwan commented that, although building another them park in China had its impact, it could not be said that people in the northern part of China would not go to Hong Kong Disneyland simply because there was another one in Shanghai. It would depend on the installations of Disneyland and the capability of Hong Kong to offer new travelling spots in order to attract more tourists.