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February 5, 1997
(CNN) -- Make way for the Chinese New Year. On February 7, the "Year of the Ox" will charge in with a colorful array of dragons, parades and fireworks. Traditionally a joyous holiday in Hong Kong, the celebration takes on even greater magnitude this year. The British colony is less than six months away from becoming part of China -- a move that has many travelers wondering exactly when they should plan a foray.
Hong Kong historyWhen Britain seized Hong Kong Island from China in 1840, it was primarily a collection of sleepy fishing villages and pirate hangouts. Expanded in later years into the Kowloon Peninsula and New Territories of the Chinese mainland and swelled by waves of Chinese refugees, Hong Kong became a jewel of skyscrapers, high finance and tourism. In 1995, more than 10 million travelers visited the territory.
Despite its steely urban image, Hong Kong contains miles of beautiful beaches and 235 outlying islands -- a few of them just an hour's ferry-ride from piers on Hong Kong Island. In fact, according to the Hong Kong Tourist Association, nearly 70 percent of Hong Kong's land is countryside.
Making the handoverOn July 1, 1997, handover ceremonies at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center will transfer this bounty back into China's hands. Effective midnight, the colony becomes a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Some say the handover will have little effect on tourism or Hong Kong's business world. Ray Bigger, vice president of sales and marketing for Marco Polo Hotels is one of them.
"When I was in the (United) States back in June, people said to me, 'Well, what's going to happen after the 30th of June?,'" Bigger said. "I hope I wasn't being too facetious when I said, 'Probably, the first of July.' The reason I said that was to try and underscore the fact that as far as Hong Kong is concerned, yes, there's a return of sovereignty to China. That aside, nothing else is going to change. It's going to be business as usual."
Still, Bigger said travelers' concerns about how the new form of government will affect them are to be expected: "It's unprecedented. We haven't had an event like this in the world. So I think logically and realistically, there's going to be a degree of uncertainty."
The handover will put Hong Kong in the world spotlight, but the Hong Kong Tourist Association hopes people look beyond that riveting event. Said the organization's Stephen Wong, "Our job is to balance things out by saying to people, 'Come after July as well and take a look at Hong Kong after the change of sovereignty.'"
If you want to make the ceremonies in person, you should act swiftly to reserve both your flight and hotel, said Wong. Most hotels have designed package deals for the handover, based on a four to six night minimum stay. Many include breakfast and a celebration gift. However, Wong pointed out that "rates of hotels during the handover week, or the one or two weeks before and after the handover, will be a bit higher."
After the main event, travel types expect a lull. "Inevitably there'll be that sort of anti-climax," remarked Des Pugson, General Manager of the Ritz Carlton Hong Kong. "But only for about 45 days and then we're into our September build-up again. By the middle of the month, we'll be full-to-bursting and we really don't expect to look back."
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