Hong Kong Skymart officially opened Wednesday after a 600-million-HK-dollars (US$77.22 millions) renovation, bringing a whole new shopping, dining an leisure concept to help attract more travelers to use HK International Airport (HKIA).

HKIA now boats 160 shops, including 25 top-line brand names lining a 200-meter boulevard in the East Hall, plus 40 restaurants catering to a variety of tastes and budgets.

Chief Executive Officer of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) David Pang said Wednesday that the airport plays a crucial role in welcoming visitors to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong SkyMart has further strengthened HKIA as a destination in its own right, as the destination to destinations. We are confident that more travelers, especially those from and going to the Chinese mainland, will take advantage of our international connectivity and fly via Hong Kong, he said.

Commercial Director of AAHK Hans Bakker said the revamp is the result of continuous surveys and passenger feedback aimed at providing still better customer service.

He said, "A good proportion of the expected 20 million visitors this year, of which more than half are from the Chinese mainland, will pass through the airport. Our new facilities will ensure theycarry home a fulfilling and exciting airport experience."

He said, "We can truly boast that SkyMart captures the best in East meeting West. Top international brands are brought in to satisfy the shopping needs of high-speeding, brand-conscious customers from Chinese mainland, Japan and South Korea.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2004)