In the not-so-distant future, visitors to Hong Kong may not even need to venture much farther than the airport to have the ultimate Hong Kong shopping experience.
Forget affordable housing, if there’s one thing Hong Kong is lacking, it’s more shopping malls. Thankfully, someone has heard our cries.
Chairman of the airport authority board Vincent Lo yesterday presented the initial designs for the soon-to-be biggest shopping mall in the city, set to be built adjacent to Terminal 2 of Hong Kong International Airport in the coming years.
Three designs, all of which feature a local theme, incorporating symbols like the Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Island, have entered the final round of selections. Nothing says classy like a big Buddha in a shopping centre.
Lo said that firms will be invited to bid for the contracts for phase one of development later this year.
He added that the two-million-square-foot commercial facility will “feature local shops and elements such as dai pai dong, where tourists and families can spend a whole day”, reports the SCMP.
The development is expected to be finished in three years and take advantage of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
According to Lo, the plan is independent of the decision to build a third runway.
When a cheeky reporter asked if the mall would sell milk powder – the merchandise of choice for visiting mainlanders and parallel traders – Lo responded diplomatically by saying that it’s up to the businesses.
Though Lo is positive about the mall’s future prospects, others are not so sure.
Convenor of People’s Aviation Watch Michael Mo told the SCMP that mall operator will face stiff competition from the high-end market even after the completion of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge given that the market is already saturated in Macau.
Good job there’s no end to our desire to shop.
Photo: Anne Worner via Flickr
