Chapter 426 New Business Card

When the economy is in a downturn, ordinary consumption may be suppressed or even downgraded, but the entertainment industry will rise against the trend.

Fang Hexuan can see this from the revenue growth curve of his own Menglong Cinemas.

Not only did theater attendance increase, but monthly sales of snacks such as popcorn, fried chicken and cola also grew at an astonishing rate of 7 to 8 percent.

Similarly, not only the film industry benefited, but other industries such as bars, KTVs, dance halls, nightclubs, ice houses, mahjong parlors, lotteries, and casinos also saw significant performance growth. Many bosses and associations that controlled these entertainment resources tasted the sweetness and subsequently increased their investments to open more stores, leading to an unprecedented prosperity in Hong Kong's nightlife.

In December, at the end of the year, the Hong Kong government was also gloomy when looking at the economic data in hand. Most industries, especially pillar industries such as finance, exports, and real estate, fell almost three times in a week. But they had no way to deal with it. After all, the general environment was like this.

Hong Kong at this time can no longer play the big government of Roosevelt and Thatcher. Economic liberalization and low tax rates are long-term policies that have been set long ago. Even if the Hong Kong government wants to, it can't do it without money.

Issuing government bonds to increase the deficit ratio and investing the money raised from the private sector in infrastructure to boost economic vitality is even more of a castle in the air.

Those corrupt officials in the Hong Kong government don't mind leaving Hong Kong citizens with huge debts and then walking away, but the deficit ratio will also affect government spending. How could these gentlemen be willing to take the initiative to tighten their belts and live a hard life?

It is certain that the Government Work Report is not good to look at, but there are at least one or two bright spots that remind everyone that Hong Kong is still a city full of hope.

For example, Harbour City, which officially opened at the end of last month, saw such a grand occasion that foreigners could not tell that there were any problems with Hong Kong's economy. After all, the huge crowds of people made it seem as if millions of people from Hong Kong had flocked here to consume and shop.

In this situation, even the Hong Kong government officials who attended the ceremony had more smiles on their faces than in the past year, and TVB and ATV cooperated well in recording the grand opening scene with loud drums and bustling crowds, showing their full awareness of being the mouthpiece of the government.

This month, before Christmas, the opening of Lan Kwai Fong on D'Aguilar Street was already on the work agenda of Hong Kong government officials. They may have taken it more seriously than the big boss Fang Hexuan, so they took the initiative to cooperate with Alphabet Group and Lan Kwai Fong Cultural and Creative Company to prepare for the opening event.

The most basic thing is that on the opening day, a large number of Hong Kong police, fire police and medical personnel were on standby at the entrance of Lan Kwai Fong.

In addition, the Hong Kong tourism guide produced by the Hong Kong government's Tourism Commission and distributed worldwide printed Lan Kwai Fong, a nightlife creative district, three months in advance to facilitate foreign tourists who make travel plans in advance to notice it.

In addition to these, the Hong Kong government also asked Kowloon Motor Bus and City Bus to add more routes passing through Lan Kwai Fong, and adding stops was also necessary.

There are also rumors that the government intends to have the MTR set up a station near Lan Kwai Fong. When the news came out, many developers smelled business opportunities, and nearby residents and landlords were even more delighted.

However, Fang Hexuan just smiled and did not make any statement after hearing this. He knew of course that this news was definitely spread by someone in secret and was ready to reap the profits. After all, there was no Lan Kwai Fong subway station until the 20s of the new century.

In short, after two years of reconstruction, renovation and trial operation, the official opening of Lan Kwai Fong was indeed regarded as a major event in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong government, and even Fang Hexuan himself was a little surprised. Of course, Alphabet Group also prepared for this opening ceremony for a long time in advance, and each part of the ceremony had been simulated and rehearsed many times.

Starting at 11 a.m. on November 20, all roads in front of, behind and near Lan Kwai Fong, regardless of whether they were main roads or ordinary streets, implemented a brief three-hour traffic control. It was not that people were not allowed to enter or exit, but motor vehicles were prohibited from traveling.

The main streets and intersections leading into the Lan Kwai Fong Creative District are guarded by military police and even riot police, which surprises many people coming and going.

The Hong Kong government had to take this seriously. The guests attending the opening ceremony included not only elites from all walks of life, but also staff from consulates and offices of various countries and regions stationed in Hong Kong. The level of sensitivity was raised several levels.

In fact, during the trial operation period, officials and staff from various countries’ consulates in Hong Kong frequently visited Lan Kwai Fong. They almost regarded it as their second home after work, and loved it much more than any other place in Hong Kong.

The reason is simple. All the design and management of Lan Kwai Fong are transplanted from Europe and the United States. When foreigners come here, it is actually not much different from returning to China. They can have fun and have a great time just like returning home.

For the British Hong Kong government, serving foreigners, especially white people in Europe and America, is more important than anything else.

Now, Hong Kong has a place that can attract both office workers from foreign companies and diplomats from consulates in Hong Kong, which will definitely leave an excellent impression on the Hong Kong government.

They have even tacitly regarded Lan Kwai Fong as the new generation business card of Hong Kong, and should promote and publicize it more in the future.

The same was true in the original time and space. As the mainland gradually opened up and joined the WTO, Hong Kong, as a transit point into the mainland, was valued and welcomed by countries around the world, especially the business community.

Since the 90s, the number of inbound tourists to Hong Kong has basically remained at over 2000 million each year. After the SARS outbreak, when mainland tourists were allowed in, the number of inbound tourists directly exceeded 2018 million. In 6500, at its peak, the number exceeded million.

The huge number of inbound visitors means huge eye traffic. The Hong Kong government will certainly not miss the opportunity to promote its own attractive tourism products. Lan Kwai Fong, owned by the Jewish man Allan Zeman, is a photo and a business card, and an important symbol of Hong Kong's integration with the world.

Although Allan Zeman is no longer in this era, the richest man in China, Fang Hexuan, has greater financial resources to build Lan Kwai Fong into the most trendy community in the Asia-Pacific region that integrates nightclubs and cultural creativity.

It is no use just boasting. In order to gain support from the Hong Kong government for Lan Kwai Fong, he invited foreign designers and cultural and creative scholars to jointly develop a white paper on the "Lan Kwai Fong Development Plan" as early as the beginning of the renovation.

This document detailed Lan Kwai Fong's development strategy of integrating nightlife, cultural creativity, tourism and derivative products. After reading it, senior Hong Kong government officials decided to support it.

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(End of this chapter)