There's a city within a city sprouting up at Hong Kong International Airport:  Hong Kong's SkyCity. Linked to the award-winning airport, on a 1-million-square-metre landscaped peninsula, SkyCity will be a beacon for passengers and local residents.

Airport Authority Commercial Director Hans Bakker says there are about 50,000 people working in and around the airport. "What is the city without a centre, and without a shopping mall and without a supermarket, and all the basic necessities you need?" he asks.

World-class appeal: Airport Authority Commercial Director Hans Bakker says SkyPlaza, depicted in an artist's impression and a scale model, will be unique in the world, providing 'memorable experiences' for those who stop by.

Half a million potential customers - daily 

Consider the numbers: In 2006, the estimated daily 'catchment' population at SkyCity is expected to top 500,000. Of these, about 85,000 are air passengers, 36,000 are meeters/greeters and well-wishers, 5,800 are passengers of the SkyPier cross-boundary ferry terminal, and 1,400 are visitors to the the newly-opened AsiaWorld-Expo exhibition centre. Add in 326,000 local residents, 60,800 airport workers and 1,800 or so on-site hotel guests.

A recent AC Nielsen survey showed most airline passengers and meeters/greeters and well-wishers spent more than two hours at the airport. SkyCity will target all of these potential customers as it aims to nurture relationships and links between the airport, a new office and retail complex known as SkyPlaza, the SkyPier, AsiaWorld-Expo and nearby tourist attractions - including a nine-hole golf course.

With the new SkyPier and other expanded facilities, the airport is being transformed into the region's intermodal transport hub. By air, sea and land, SkyCity will have all the connections for time-conscious business and leisure visitors, from the Mainland and around the world.

Intermodal transport hub delivers travellers

To accommodate this role, a new MTR station has been added to the Airport Express line next to AsiaWorld-Expo. The SkyPlaza will also feature a comfortable and convenient cross-boundary bus terminal with connections to the city and tourist destinations.

"We are now handling our Mainland Chinese guests in the open air, in the heat and the rain. And now what we will provide is a ground-based transportation centre, with air-conditioned waiting lounges, and also the 'airport' gimmick so you can see on the monitor which bus will leave from which gate at what time," Mr Bakker said.

SkyPlaza will also have a second airline terminal, with 56 check-in counters that will be extended to 112. A people-mover system will connect it with the existing terminal, for a convenient one-minute journey. Estimated time to the nearby town of Tung Chung: five minutes. Hong Kong Disneyland is about 15 minutes away, downtown Hong Kong, 23 minutes, AsiaWorld Exp, two minutes, the SkyPier, future hotel and golf course, three minutes. Even the heart of the Pearl River Delta is only 30 minutes to an hour away.

Of course, anyone waiting for a bus, a flight or a ferry will be able to take advantage of the retail shops and entertainment.

"This is completely different from any other terminal elsewhere in the world," Mr Bakker enthused, adding the goal was to give everyone - "passengers, well-wishers, meeters and greeters, exhibition visitors, visitors to Disney, people who want to make use of the ferries" - a "memorable experience".

When SkyPlaza opens in mid-2006, it will sprawl across 35,000 square metres, divided into three sectors: retail stores, catering outlets and entertainment centres. The centre's tagline? "Adventure Unlimited". It will include eight themed 'zones', including:

* Gourmet Garden;

* Hong Kong Bazaar;

* Souvenir Planet;

* Cultural Lane;

* In-Zone Avenue;

* Fashion Boulevard;

* Kids Kingdom; and

* Hip Home HQ.

One of its entertainment highlights is a "4D" cinema, the largest cinema in Asia and the first of its kind in the world.

The 4D Extreme Screen stands more than four storeys high with advanced technologies that bring strikingly real 3D images to the audience while allowing them to experience other sensory thrills timed to the onscreen action. Audience members might feel as though they are wading through drifting snow, splashing in water or breathing in pleasant scents.

Phase 1 of SkyCity includes the just-opened AsiaWorld-Expo, an international exhibition centre. It boasts a 13,500-seat arena and has already attracted celebrated entertainers, including rock giants Oasis, who will take to the stage in February.

Thirty major international exhibitions and events are scheduled so far for 2006, and they are estimated to bring about $4 billion in economic benefits to Hong Kong. These events are virtually all firsts to the city and the majority of them are recurring events for subsequent years.

SkyCity's many inter-related elements continue to come onstream. Still on the cards are two office towers with a total floor space of 30,000 square metres to be developed in two phases. They are slated to house the Airport Authority headquarters, a World Trade Centre, and offices of airlines and other airport-related businesses, as well as corporations needing close access to the Pearl River Delta and the airport.

For more details on this city-within-a-city, click here.