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The Hong Kong Pavilion and Hong Kong's Urban Best Practices Area (UBPA) exhibition at World Expo 2010 Shanghai China (Shanghai Expo) are ready to receive summer holiday visitors, following the solid experience gained in the last two months.
The Commissioner of the HKSAR Expo Affairs Office, Mr Patrick Chan, said, "Our staff have gained a lot of experience in operating the two exhibitions and handling large numbers of visitors over the past two months and the six days of trials in April.
"We are well prepared for the summer holiday season and will continue to work hard to provide our visitors with a welcoming and memorable experience."
Themed "Hong Kong - Potential Unlimited", the Hong Kong Pavilion on the Pudong side of the Expo Park received about 333,000 visitors in June. On the Puxi side, Hong Kong's UBPA Exhibition "Smart CardĦESmart CityĦESmart Life" welcomed some 249,000 visitors in the same month.
On June 26, the total number of visitors to both exhibitions passed the one million mark.
Since the opening of Shanghai Expo on May 1, the Hong Kong Pavilion has received on average more than 10,000 visitors per day while Hong Kong's UBPA exhibition has had about 8,000 visitors each day.
"We have been conducting opinion surveys with our visitors and, overall, our two exhibitions have been well received," Mr Chan said.
"The visitors have shown much interest in the contents of our Hong Kong Pavilion, especially the 3D movie on the ground level, the rooftop garden, the interactive games and the environmentally friendly souvenir bag.
"Hong Kong's UBPA exhibition has also received favourable feedback from visitors. Visitors have particularly enjoyed the dynamic displays of Hong Kong, and liked the interactive floor tiles and 360-degree circular screen. The RFID chip-embedded wristband souvenir is also very popular."
Mr Chan said visitors were generally impressed by the services provided by staff at the Hong Kong Pavilion and Hong Kong's UBPA exhibition.
There are a range of specially designed souvenirs for distribution to visitors to enhance efforts to promote Hong Kong and its participation in Shanghai Expo. Souvenirs for the summer months include foldable caps and frisbee fans, which have practical use on hot days.
In June, Hong Kong organised a wide variety of events and activities in Shanghai for Expo. These included a large-scale tourism promotion campaign "Festive Hong Kong 2010" which ended on June 15. The campaign included the setting up of a "mini-Hong Kong" in Shanghai's trendy entertainment hub of Xintiandi to promote Hong Kong's numerous colourful festivals and cultural celebrations.
A "Green Transport in Hong Kong, Asia's World City" seminar on June 18 attracted more than 250 officials and experts from around the world.
To promote Hong Kong's diverse performing arts scene, five dance performances were staged at various venues in Shanghai in June. The dance series was a success with an average attendance rate of more than 90%.
The Hong Kong Ballet, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Dance and the City Contemporary Dance Company each staged performances as part of the HKSAR's programmes for Shanghai Expo.
In July, Hong Kong will continue to stage a number of exciting events and activities for Shanghai Expo under the theme "One Country, Two Systems". A new thematic exhibition at the Hong Kong Pavilion titled "One Country, Two Systems" runs from June 22 until July 15. A ceremony celebrating the 13th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR will take place at the Hong Kong Pavilion tomorrow (July 1).
Another new exhibition themed "Stories Behind Banknotes" will be launched on July 16.
Seminars for July include "Hong Kong Legal Services Forum: Global Vision" on July 6 and "Finance Forum: Stronger Links, Stronger Markets: Hong Kong, the Mainland and the World" on July 21. These will discuss Hong Kong's role in providing legal and financial services in the region and around the world.
On cultural programmes, the Hong Kong Dance Company and Edward Lam Dance Theatre will present dance and drama productions, while the "Legacy and Creations - Ink Art vs Ink Art" large-scale exhibition will be launched on July 16 at the Shanghai Art Museum.
The sponsorship drive for the HKSAR's participation in Shanghai Expo has so far raised more than $40 million from 36 sponsors, including a new Gold Sponsor Renley Watch Manufacturing Company Limited, which confirmed its support in June.
For more details on Hong Kong's participation in Shanghai Expo, please visit www.hkexpo2010.gov.hk .
Ends/Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:01
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