Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang has given a pin and one of his trademark bow ties to his wax figure unveiled Monday at the Peak, a popular tourist site on the Hong Kong Island known for the panoramic view of the city.
"He is more handsome than me," Tsang said, referring to the wax figure.
Also wearing a bow tie and a smile, Tsang spoke at the ceremony to inaugurate the wax figure and took a photo with "himself" before the wax figure was placed beside prominent political figures and face to face with Albert Einstein in Madame Tussauds.
Bret Pidgeon, general manager of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Shanghai, said Tsang had been the most requested political figure based on visitor surveys.
"Madame Tussauds Hong Kong is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. Our mission is to deliver high quality visitor experiences," he said.
Hong Kong is a popular tourist destination in the region, particularly for those from the Chinese mainland.
A hostess at the ceremony said Tsang, who had been fondly nicknamed Bow-tie Tsang because of his obvious love for bow ties, has given away the bow tie and the pin to help promote local tourist industry, in addition to a sitting of two hours for figure.
Tsang said the Peak has been one of the most popular tourist sites in Hong Kong, adding that the appearance of the Peak had changed over the years but the unparalleled panoramic view of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor remained the top pick for local people.
Tsang also inaugurated a Victorian style tourist information center converted from a used tram cabin as he officiated the ceremony to launch a promotional campaign.
The campaign, known as "The Peak -- A New Sensation," will last two months to give visitors special offers in shopping, dining and entertainment.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government has been upgrading tourist facilities in the southern Chinese city since late 2000 by investing about 1.65 billion Hong Kong dollars (0.21 billion U.S. dollars) in over ten improvement projects.
Some of the projects has been completed under the supervision of the Tourism Commission while others, including the Peak Improvement Scheme, were still going on.
The Peak Improvement Scheme, started in 2005 and expected to be completed this year, was worth about 143 million HK dollars (18.33 million U.S. dollars).
The HKSAR government planned to spend about 11 billion HK dollars (1.41 billion U.S. dollars) in the coming years on tourism projects, like improving the Ocean Park and constructing a new cruise pier, Tsang said. (7.8 HK dollars = 1 U.S. dollar)
(Xinhua News Agency April 8, 2008)