Pigging out in Hong Kong

THE place for meetings, shopping, and Chinese New Year

Chris Porter
On the Go
 

NIGHT VISION: Langham Hotel at night. Photo courtesy Langham Hotel.

February 18, as we know, heralded the Chinese calendar’s Year of the Pig. New Year celebrations were held all over the world, as always, but if you’ve ever been in Hong Kong for the event, you know that it’s one of the craziest and one of the best times to be a visitor.

When you stay at the elegant 490-room Langham Hotel (a member of the Leading Hotels of the World and a superb location when you’re on business) you’ll see hotel director Nigel Roberts greet the “dragon” before it winds its raucous, noisy way through the property, eating its lettuce-wrapped red envelopes. The dragon — cleverly manipulated by dancers — spits out the lettuce, and keeps the money-filled envelopes. It’s all for good luck and good Feng Shui, to drive off lingering negative chi and give the New Year a clean start. If you’re single, you can claim a red envelope — tradition dictates that bosses give the money-stuffed packages to employees, and married people give them to the unmarried, including children.

Hong Kong is a colourful, vibrant destination at any time, but it dons an extra dimension of joyful exuberance during New Year. The flower market is jam-packed with buyers and with blooms of all description, temples are filled with aromatic smoke from joss sticks lit in prayer for good luck, and it seems the entire population turns out, dressed in vivid colours and lots of silk, to cheer on the parade. Canada has, for several years, been well represented in the parade with an RCMP contingent (in full dress uniform).

Hong Kong is still a bargain-hunters heaven, and you don’t have to wait for New Year’s to find great deals. Langham Hotel, for instance, has excellent tailoring facilities in the Lower Concourse, and even if you stay only two nights, that’s time enough to have shirts tailor-made for a fraction of what they’d cost in Canada.

Who can resist browsing through the colourful markets? There’s a jade market, a night market, ladies’ market, markets specializing in live koi and goldfish (very lucky!), the bird market (a must-see), the flower market, and dozens more. Take the trip out to Stanley and Repulse Bay to see others, and to check out some good restaurants.

Hong Kong people love to eat, and the variety of places to do so is unsurpassed. The Langham alone has five restaurants, including the award-winning T’ang Court serving Cantonese dishes, and the popular Main St. Deli, patterned after its famous New York namesake.

While you’re here, don’t miss a trip on The Peak Tram, operating since 1888, or a stroll along Hollywood Road with its fascinating stores and side-streets, and a trip on the famous Star Ferries, still the best

little cruise bargain going. You’ll find a mountain of information, most of it free (including detailed walking maps) at Visitor Information Services at the airport arrivals level or at Star Ferry Concourse

(Kowloon side). Visit Hong Kong Tourism Board’s website for more information (www.discoverhongkong.com) or call the Toronto office at 416-366-2389. CP

Macao set to become gambling capital of the world

Macao, the Special Administrative Region on the southern coast of China, has hit the jackpot.

Gambling revenues in the former Portuguese colony are expected to surpass those in Las Vegas this year. But just as it becomes a magnet for tourists and baccarat enthusiasts, Macao is also becoming a convention and entertainment powerhouse — and Canadian exporters can steal the show.

After becoming a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999, Macao enjoys a high degree of autonomy in all matters except national defence and foreign affairs.

The economic growth all started in 2002, when Macao eliminated a 40-year-old gaming monopoly and when China liberalized individual travel there one year later.

“With that surge in economic activity, opportunities came fast in a wide range of sectors, from agri-food and infrastructure to entertainment and security,” says Francois Rivest, Senior Trade Commissioner with the Canadian Consulate General in Hong Kong.

“You just have to look at the agri-food sector,” says Rivest, who points out that Macao has become one of Canada’s most important markets for food products. “The influx of tourists means high-end Canadian food products will be in demand,” he says. This includes beverages, seafood products and ready-to-serve pastry products.

He says there is also demand for retail-ready, pre-packaged gift food like confectionery and premium food and beverage items. But Rivest turns his attention to entertainment, which he says goes hand-in-hand with a gambling mecca.

“Foreign cultural performances and exhibitions, including those from Canada, are becoming more popular and opportunities are opening up for Canadian artists and performers. He explains that in 2008, a permanent facility for Quebec’s Cirque du Soleil will open at the Venetian resort hotel, which is currently under construction in Macao. The 1,800-seat facility will bring this unique Canadian entertainment experience to thousands of tourists each year.

The development of upscale resort hotels like the Venetian has also opened up opportunities for design and engineering professionals. Canadian architects, interior designers, engineering consultants and exporters with innovative building products are well-positioned to take advantage of Macao’s growth. Training for human resources in the hospitality sector is another area Canadian firms may wish to pursue.

Infrastructure opportunities don’t end at hotels and casinos.

Rivest says that Canadian companies are also well-placed to take part in large infrastructure and transportation projects such as the underwater tunnel linking Macao proper to Taipa Island, a 35-kilometre bridge linking Macao to Hong Kong and Zhuhai, and the recently announced $600 million, 22-kilometre elevated light metro project. Several Canadian firms are pursuing the opportunities to supply the traffic control surveillance and journey time indication systems to these projects.

To cope with this sharp rise in tourists and the increasing number of casinos, Rivest points out that additional security measures are being adopted at both border control points, casinos and hotels.

“There’s another way Canadian companies can get in on the action. After all, Canadian security technology companies in travel document authentication, access control, closed circuit television and metal detectors have excellent competitive advantages when it comes to meeting Macao’s security demands.” And there are resources to help Canadian exporters meet these demands.

The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, the trade and investment promotion arm of the Macao government, has established the Macao Business Support Centre which helps to reduce initial setup costs for foreign investors by providing them with office facilities and secretarial services.

“This helps exporters become familiar with Macao’s business and government environments,” says Rivest. Successful applicants can stay up to four months in the Centre and an extension of two months is also allowed under special circumstances.

Source: CanadExport, Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada.