Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival
By Season Ho and Dennis HungThe 4-day opening party of the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival ended yesterday, with a record number of visitors, despite a late venue change. According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Festival attracted an estimated 130,000 visitors on the first three days, compared to 140,000 for the whole of last year’s festival.
Organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board and sponsored by CCB(Asia), the opening party is a lead-in to the month-long Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, offering a huge array of wines and gourmet food.
Due to the Occupy Central protests, the Festival is being moved across the Harbour, from last year’s venue near the Central piers, to the former airport runway adjacent to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal this year. The entrance fee was hence waived to compensate for potential woes.
Nevertheless, wine-lovers were not deterred from visiting the Festival. Visitors’ response was so overwhelming that the Tourism Board had to issue a warning on Friday night, advising people not to join the Festival that night as it already reached its capacity.
The party has received overwhelming compliments, except for the widespread transport delays.
First-time local visitor Asta said the transportation arrangement was inadequate for such a massive event, and she believed that the MTR-accessible Central is a better choice. “The cruise terminal is much less convenient compared to Central,” she said.
Having considered the potential traffic problems, the Tourism Board had arranged free shuttle bus service. The shuttle bus ran between the Terminal and Lam Tin, Kowloon Tong and Tsim Sha Tsui East. A bus to Ngau Tau Kok and a minibus to Kowloon Bay were also available.
An Australian tourist Raymond paid his first visit to the Festival, “the transportation arrangement is disappointing, I was stuck in the bus for almost an hour,” he said. Yet, he expressed that the event was overall quite ‘impressive’ and he ‘enjoyed the music with a glass of wine in hand’.
The Festival features over 250 stalls, which are divided into 5 themed areas: Discovery Zone, Party Wine Zone, Everyday Wine Zone, Country Pavilions and the premium Riedel Grand Tasting Pavilion.
Local wine-seller Chan was surprised at the sales of his products. “I was worried about the business because of the relocation, but it turned out to be unexpectedly good,” Chan said.
The party livened up as soon as special light effects started, along with live music and band performance. The panoramic view of the Victoria Harbour together with Hong Kong skyline forms a stunning backdrop to the Festival, making wine-tasting at night a delightful sensational experience.
Financial Secretary John Tsang visited the Festival on Saturday upon return from London on a business trip. He expressed his initial concern over visitors’ reaction to the event, and he was grateful to the organisers for their prompt response to the unforeseen influx of visitors.
The Festival continues until the end of this month in other locations. Street carnivals and other wine-tasting and dining events will take place across the city. Featuring over 1,000 exhibitors, the 7th Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair will soon kick off on the 6th of November.
