Hong Kong - Disneyland

br Hong Kong- Disneyland 2005

A joint venture between the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR ) and the Walt Disney Company Hong Kong Disneyland reached a major milestone on Sept . 24th : workers topped off Sleeping Beauty Castle , the park 's centerpiece , placing the uppermost turret on the structure 's highest tower . The castle emblem symbolizes the immersive world that guests enter inside every Disneyland around the world . Now , Hong Kong has its own Sleeping Beauty Castle

Of course , the creation of such a kind of entertainment complex gives

birth to the whole range of questions and problems connected with its development . The big question after they build it , of course , is how many will come . The SAR 's economic-benefit model is based on the park 's drawing 5 .6 million visitors in its first year of operations , with that number rising to 10 million annually after about 15 years . And that may be a very reachable goal . According to Walt Disney Parks and Resorts President Jay Rasulo , Hong Kong Disneyland will serve as an important gateway for bringing the magic of Disney to families across Asia . Disney 's new park , in fact , is specifically aimed at a single huge market : Asia , the world 's most populous region . A major step in that marketing strategy is planning the cuisine that the park will offer . With much of Asian culture centering around meals , the menu that Disney selects will surely be broad

Disney and other companies , they say , will create an estimated 18 ,000 new jobs by the time the park opens . And creation will grow to 36 ,000 when Hong Kong Disneyland reaches full build-out . Critics , though , point out that most of those jobs are low-skill , low-pay positions . Even so , the SAR estimates that the project over a 40-year span will give Hong Kong 's economy an overall boost of 19 billion . Most of that payoff will come from Hong Kong companies ' profits , plus income from the wave of newly created jobs . In addition , the SAR government will get back about 513 million of Phase I land costs through subordinated shares in the joint venture . Five thousand temporary jobs were already in place at the beginning of the building of the park . Five hundred of those positions were for the first "cast members " - Disney-speak for park employees . By the time Hong Kong Disneyland opened , it was to have 5 ,000 cast members

Nevertheless , despite many positive factors that are caused by the appearance of Hong Kong Disneyland , Disney is going to face some major challenges as it tries to make its latest park a success . The first Magic Kingdom in China officially opened on Monday , Sept . 12 , but even before then , critics were having a field day . In the weeks before its official debut , the park was open to visitors for what Disney called "rehearsal days " and the Hong Kong newss were filled with complaints about the food , the lines , and the attractions

Also , there 's the matter...