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Speech by CE at Hong Kong Disneyland 10th Anniversary Celebration (English only) (with photos/video)
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     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr C Y Leung, at the Hong Kong Disneyland 10th Anniversary Celebration this evening (September 11):

Bob, Bill, Andrew, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

     Good evening. Indeed, it is a jubilant evening.

     And I'm delighted to be here, with all of you for this happy 10th birthday party. Yes, tonight we celebrate a decade in the captivating life of Hong Kong Disneyland. For that, my thanks to Mickey and his pals. They have brought Hong Kong 10 years of happiness, and a full decade of treasured memories for the more than 50 million visitors who have embraced Hong Kong Disneyland since its opening.

     Allow me, as well, to express my appreciation for the very considerable contributions this park has made to Hong Kong tourism over the past decade. For the Hong Kong SAR Government, Disneyland is a strategic investment, one we entered into to diversify and enhance our tourism offerings.

     Tourism has no doubt flourished over the past decade. It is now a pillar industry in Hong Kong, offering job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people. We are now working to sustain and ride on this momentum. I'm sure Hong Kong Disneyland will continue to be an integral part of our tourism strategy, and part and parcel of the exciting experience Hong Kong offers to our visitors.

     The addition of new and unique visitor experiences has been central to the success of Hong Kong Disneyland. Consider just a few of these innovations: the opening of "Toy Story Land", where visitors parachute drop with Andy's Troops, then hop on a ride to chase Slinky Dog's tail; "Grizzly Gulch", and all that happy shrieking on those adventurous mine cars; "Mystic Point", where you can glimpse explorer Lord Henry's private collection under the guidance of Albert the monkey; and the interactive LED parade, "Disney Paint the Night", which bathes Hong Kong Disneyland in light and colour each and every evening.

     These, and other inspiring additions, have brought pure, unadulterated joy to the park and its visitors.

     The future looks even brighter. Like the rest of you, I can't wait for Marvel's Iron Man theme area to open in 2016, followed by the Explorers Lodge hotel in 2017. And I can tell you that good progress is being made in the discussions between the Government and The Walt Disney Company on Hong Kong Disneyland's Phase 2 development.

     With a variety of major cross-boundary infrastructure developments coming on stream over the next few years - including the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the third runway of our international airport - our links with the Mainland, and the rest of the world, will multiply. That will bring a wealth of fresh opportunity for Hong Kong Disneyland, and Hong Kong as a whole.

     And I have no doubt that Hong Kong Disneyland will capitalise on those opportunities.

     The original Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, celebrated its 60th birthday two months ago. The good news is that Disneyland Resort continues to expand, continues to create enchanting holidays and memorable moments for its visitors.

     In short, Hong Kong Disneyland, now 10 years old, has just begun to dazzle the world.

     Happy birthday, Hong Kong Disneyland. And I know all of you will enjoy this very special evening. Thank you.

Ends/Friday, September 11, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:27

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