Crowds of visitors at the opening day of Hong Kong's much-heralded EuroChristmas were disappointed yesterday when machines to produce artificial snow broke down. And lots of people complained that organisers had set the temperature too high, leaving wrapped-up visitors, who were expecting an icy-cold winter experience, sweltering at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. Organisers said that just hours after the VIPs unveiled the 'first indoor Christmas entertainment theme park' with its 'enticing visual and interactive activities', they were deluged with complaints from many of the 10,000 visitors inside. Many had toured the dome - billed as 'Winter Magic' and boasting a blizzard, a snowy slope, a snow playground, the North Pole, Santa's village and an ice castle - said the facilities failed to impress, especially after a $50 entry fee for adults and $25 for children. Wallace Chan, who took his children, six and three, with his wife, Betty, said: 'Please tell your readers not to come here. Everything they claimed in the advertisement was wrong. 'The snow slope does not work and the temperature is way too warm for a European winter. Our winter clothes are not needed here, and the foam snow is fake. It is too unreal,' said Mr Chan, an engineer. Dan Choi, a senior marketing manager of SmarTone, said he and his three-year-old son, Sherman, were both disappointed. 'The advertisement is an exaggeration. It is ridiculous. They have created unwarranted expectations,' said Mr Choi, who spent four years in chilly Toronto. 'My experience with real snow is unmatched by this. I have to remind Sherman that it is fake snow. I hope he will be happier to see real snow in the future,' Mr Choi said. One angry mother, Anita Leung, complained to the management office and said she was considering laying a complaint with the Consumer Council. Elsie Tsui, external affairs manager of EuroChristmas sponsors Coca-Cola China, said her company was not responsible for publicity. Ms Tsui said teams of engineers had worked round the clock last night to try to increase the output of the snow-making machine, which was producing less than half its maximum. She said that her company expected about 200,000 people to visit the festival during its 18-day run, which ends on January 2.
