After the Asian financial crisis, the government aggressively courted a few 'visionary' ideas to try to revive the economy. They included Disneyland, the cable car project on Lantau, Fisherman's Wharf in Aberdeen, Cyberport and making Hong Kong a centre of traditional Chinese medicine.
Some of those ideas have been realised, and some have been aborted. A handful, however, remain at a conceptual stage, without even being granted a feasibility study to assess their viability. The Fisherman's Wharf project is a case in point.
The government's plan to revitalise Aberdeen and turn it into a tourism hub was first floated in 1998. Initial cost projections were set at HK$1 billion to build a range of attractions such as a Fisherman's Wharf and a cultural heritage museum, and to provide traditional sampans to transport visitors. It has been reported that the project is to be scaled back by 80 per cent, to beautifying the Aberdeen waterfront and Ap Lei Chau.
Frankly speaking, the fisherman's wharf concept is not unique, and would do little to promote or preserve the characteristics of Aberdeen as a traditional fishing village. This tourism concept has been made famous by the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, which is not only appealing as a tourist attraction but is also regarded as an influential force in preserving the history of the waterfront community. Other US cities have followed its lead.
But those latter-day fisherman's wharfs generally involve shopping, dining and entertainment in refurbished waterfront buildings. Macau also has its Fisherman's Wharf, which is mainly a gambling attraction and has little, if anything, to do with promoting a fishing village image.
The original Aberdeen plan gained little traction over the years, despite having reasonable support from the community and the tourism industry. But the plan remained on the drawing board, with not even a feasibility study carried out. Then, to encourage private-sector investment, the government commissioned a financial assessment study last year.
