Property firms quit fireworks
Developers Henderson Land and Sun Hung Kai Properties have withdrawn sponsorship of New Year's Eve fireworks this year, but organisers say the show will go on.
'As far as I know it was a commercial decision,' said Cynthia Leung of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, which organises the event. 'We respect their decision, and will try to get the show running.'
The board would not reveal how much funding was lost.
Last year's event, lasting 31/2minutes, cost about HK$7.8 million to produce. This year the show will run from three to five minutes.
Officials at Henderson Land and Sun Hung Kai Properties said they would continue to support the event by providing the venue, but refused to say why funding had ceased.
The New Year's Eve event will continue to be produced by Pyromagic Multi-media Productions, the company responsible for the 23-minute National Day extravaganza. That show last month cost HK$8 million, up from the HK$3.5 million last year due to the rising cost of raw materials.
Hong Kong Travel Industry Council chairman Michael Wu Siu-ieng said he had no fears of the event being cancelled. 'It's a matter for the Hong Kong Tourism Board to figure out, and I'm sure they can,' he said. The property giants have sponsored the event for the past four years.
