The happiest place on earth

I was recently in Hong Kong to cover Hong Kong Disneyland’s 5th anniversary, to be included as a segment on Rated K. I’ve been there before, but I must admit, I never get tired of a place like this!

And why would I? Hong Kong Disneyland is the fifth theme park in Walt Disney’s Kingdom, and the second in Asia after Tokyo. It is located on reclaimed land on Lantau Island. Another is planned for construction in Shanghai this year, to be finished by 2014. According to the latest figures, the park receives about five million visitors per year, with 20% of that being Filipinos, second only to the mainland Chinese! So we really are important to their tourism!

Not surprisingly, there are many Filipino employees in the park, mostly on the entertainment side of the organization. One can easily see this during the daily afternoon parades where you have Filipino musicians, dancers and even some costumed characters like the green soldiers in Toy Story!

Although this is the smallest of the five Disney theme parks, I feel that management has succeeded in controlling the number of people allowed to enter the park at any given time. This is in contrast to when the park first opened, being the first in the region, where overcrowding and the many dangers that come with it plagued the park.

The attraction of Hong Kong Disneyland to Filipinos is its location. Hong Kong is probably the most visited country by Filipinos. And with the opening of the theme park in 2005, many Filipinos could finally see their wishes coming true. Their wish of going to Disneyland.

And indeed, this is a place not only for children, but for those with child-like hearts. Those who think otherwise, well too bad. With its rides, its shows, its attractions and even its food, one would easily forget time, forget everything actually as you walk along this magical place. Who would have thought that I would see Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, even Ariel and Tinker Bell in person! Then just before the park closes for the day, you are treated to a delightful, visual experience of fireworks and music!

So if you will, allow me to indulge myself, and become a kid once more. After all, this is the happiest place on earth. This side of the earth anyway!