Dreams of a second white Christmas in Hong Kong are melting because of a lukewarm reception from potential sponsors.
Organisers of EuroChristmas 2000, co-ordinated by the Tourism Commission and held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, have been unable to find a sponsor willing to put up $12 million seed money.
Coca-Cola China, which last year invested $13 million in a 'Winter Magic' exhibit that failed to enchant many a paying visitor, has decided against being title sponsor while Heineken, which sponsored a 'Stars on Ice' skating show, has not yet made up its mind. 'If funding is not forthcoming very soon, there will simply not be time for us to organise properly,' says Erwin Hardy, chairman of the organising committee.
The main sponsor for last year's EuroChristmas, the Pacific Century Group, is not expected to be in a position to make significant donations this year.
EuroChristmas, which was aimed at putting Hong Kong on the map as Asia's Christmas capital, is now in danger of being overtaken by Bahrain, Singapore, Tokyo or Bangkok, which are all interested in staging events.
Mr Hardy expressed disappointment at the lack of support for the initiative, which last year drew more than 1.1 million visitors between December 16 and January 2, including tens of thousands of tourists.
'Everyone seemed enthusiastic about the first EuroChristmas,' he said. 'Now I am disappointed generally with the funding of tourism events. Hong Kong is relying too much on private initiatives compared to other countries.'