Starting from last week, the classic tourist spot Avenue of Stars has been closed down for three years as the government redevelops and “improves” the site.
Oriental Daily spoke to some rather disappointed tourists who, evidently having missed the memo, went to the harbour to see what the hype was all about and failed to see anything but a couple of signs telling them to come back in three years.
Christy, from Indonesia, came to Hong Kong with with four of her friends. She said her friends recommended she take a look at the handprints of celebrities along the beautiful avenue, yet she found herself in shock when she realised the avenue is closed for three years.
She expressed her disappointment and stated that as her holidays in Indonesia are limited, she may not be able to return to Hong Kong.
Recent South Korean university graduate Lee Jin Wook said he had seen photos of the site on the internet, and emphasised that it had lookd very beautiful. He said he came to see the Bruce Lee statue in particular.
Lee said he was “very, very, very, very” disappointed, complaining that the tourist attraction is being closed for too long. But he added that he may return to Hong Kong after the work is done.
Two other Australian tourists, Joana and Jamaica, was staying in Hong Kong for four days.
Jamaica was very excited for the trip. She said that the redevelopment should have been conducted in phases, rather than shutting down the whole area at once.
Joana, sadly, said that the whole point of the trip was to see the Avenue of Stars, and could not hide her disappointment (though we could have probably pointed her in the direction of one or two possibly better places she could see during her short visit).
Despite the rose tinited view of the Avenue of Stars these tourists clearly have, the site also has the dubious honour of coming in second on CNN’s list of the “world’s 12 worst tourist traps”. Let’s hope it doesn’t become number one in three years’ time.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
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