Familiar names include Grappa's, Banana Leaf, Maxim's and the Wing Wah Cake Shop.

'I think it will be a tremendous attraction for Hong Kong people,' Betty Leong, commercial manager, marketing, for the Airport Authority, said.

'I think it will affect people's travel patterns to a certain extent. People will want to go there an hour earlier - it makes perfect sense. I think people will want to go out there at weekends and make it a whole-day trip.' One of the most novel outlets is the Touch and Go sports bar, designed to bring arriving and departing fans up to date with results, whether it is croquet or basketball.

A total of 13 television screens will be situated around the bar and self-service restaurant, beaming in sports from all over the world, plus live coverage of Hong Kong horse racing during the season.

A further nine Internet-ready computers have been loaded with a sports program specially devised for the Touch and Go bar. A Web page, designed by Light and Sound, is intended to give lightning-fast access to sports results and news, whether it is wrestling from Rio or lawn bowls from Lahore.

Designer Stefan Jeffery has spent weeks drawing up links for soccer, basketball, rugby and American football, plus more obscure sports including sky surfing, lawn-mower racing, monster truck racing, barefoot water skiing and dirt-track racing.

'After sex, sports pages are the most popular pages on the Internet,' the designer said. 'There are a lot of Web sites out there but few will cover the range that we will be looking to cover. We will be constantly updating and it will be very user-friendly.' The Touch and Go, operated by LSG Lufthansa Service Sky Chefs, will serve Western-style fast food such as nachos, hamburgers and sandwiches. Close by is a branch of the Banana Leaf, an Irish-style pub, and several Chinese restaurants.

Travellers who have gone through immigration will come across another wave of dining and shopping options, including several food courts and boutiques displaying almost all the top European designer brand names.

Free Duty, the company which won the liquor and tobacco concession, has plans to display a much wider range of goods than previously possible.

Planners have taken note of the increasing popularity of wine in recent years among Asians and will display vintages in an area of the terminal with a French theme.

A short stroll from the main building is the Regal Airport Hotel, due to open later in the year, with a business lounge built especially to cater for departing passengers.

Anyone with time to spare before flying can pay a flat fee, which covers usage of the lounge, health club and two swimming pools. The lounge will have its own check-in counters, a first for Hong Kong.

'Once you walk in there, it will appear to be like any airport exclusive lounge with access to Internet, work stations, showers and a range of food and beverage,' executive assistant manager Dennis Oldfield said.

'It will be 1,200 square metres and can seat more than 300 people. If you are travelling somewhere in Asia near to here you will probably be travelling economy class which does not give you lounge access.

'We will get Hong Kong people, business travellers, people in transit and the leisure market. We are also looking at pre jet-lag beauty treatments to help people prepare for those longer journeys to get facials and nails and hair done.' Mr Oldfield said the company was also setting up a series of offices that arriving businessmen could rent.

'I think there is an enormous market for that in the conference and meetings markets. Half the world's population lives within five hours flying time of Hong Kong. A lot of people want to get in and do their business as quickly as possible and then get out. There is a real need for that,' he said.

Given the range of options, passengers left with a few hours to kill are unlikely to suffer terminal boredom: quite the reverse given the range of options.

As well as the high-end boutiques and restaurants, the airport will have a range of quality bookstores, a massive improvement on Kai Tak, where only paperbacks and magazines were on display.