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The First exhibition! Latvian architecture unveiled in Seoul

On 18 February, the Soorim Arts Center in Seoul hosted a festive opening ceremony for an exhibition devoted to Latvian architecture, Latvia. Architecture at Convergence. This is the first exhibition on Latvian architecture in the Republic of Korea; it has been organised to mark Latvia’s Centenary and introduce viewers to outstanding achievements of the country in architecture, thereby raising the profile of Latvia in the respective sector in Korea. The exhibition will be on display until 24 March. Ten modules of the exhibition with 40 large scale photographs and annotations reflect the diversity of Latvia’s architecture rich in wooden built heritage, mediaeval buildings included in the UNESCO World Heritage list, Art Nouveau masterpieces – all of which have left their permanent imprint on the development of European culture. The photographs have been complemented with panels featuring a graphic presentation of all those historical, political and economic influences that have shaped the architecture and cultural environment in Latvia. In addition, the exhibition offers three short films about Latvian architecture, and books about Latvia have also been put on view. Alongside information materials on Latvia’s Centenary, the audience can also explore “The Time Line” – a parallel graphical presentation of milestone events in the history of Latvia and Korea – to gain a better insight into Latvia’s past. The exhibition titled Latvia. Architecture at Convergence is part of the public diplomacy programme to mark Latvia’s Centenary, coordinated by the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The unveiling of the exhibition brought together reporters from the leading Korean media, architecture experts, students and others interested.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort Achieves Record Revenue and EBITDA

Today, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (HKDL) reported record high revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (“EBITDA”) for fiscal year 2018. Revenue rose 18% to HK$6.0 billion for the year ending September 29, 2018. EBITDA jumped 48% to HK$1.4 billion. The robust growth in revenue and EBITDA was attributed to increases in occupied room nights at the resort hotels, park attendance and guest spending. Annual attendance reached 6.7 million, up 8% from prior year. Across-the-board growth was seen in local, mainland China and international markets, which accounted for 40%, 34% and 26% of total attendance, respectively. International attendance hit a record high for the second year in a row, mainly fuelled by strong visitation from Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. The continued growth in international guests underscores HKDL’s contribution to bolstering Hong Kong as a top tourist destination in the region, both in the family and young adult segments. Since park opening in 2005, total cumulative attendance has reached more than 77 million. During the year, per capita spending increased 6%, representing nine years of continuous growth. Hotel occupancy was up six percentage points to 75%. Disney Explorers Lodge, which opened in April 2017, contributed to 44% growth in occupied room nights. Record revenue and EBITDA reduced net loss by HK$291 million to HK$54 million, an 84% improvement from fiscal year 2017. - HKDL is the ideal destination for events and staycations “This past year HKDL continued to strengthen its appeal as the ideal vacation destination. Our strong entertainment lineup throughout the year, coupled with the launch of ‘Moana: A Homecoming Celebration’ and the global debut of Cookie as a new character in the highly popular Duffy the Bear family, have enticed guests from all markets,” said Stephanie Young, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. “Additionally, innovative initiatives to capture new opportunities were launched, including the first-ever, large-scale outdoor concerts, and the signature 10K Weekend running events, which have broadened our guest base for the park and hotels.” The series of six outdoor concerts by popular Taiwan band Mayday was a groundbreaking initiative using the resort’s coach park to host 120,000 attendees from Hong Kong, as well as mainland China and the rest of Asia. Tailored packages of the resort’s hotel room and park experience contributed to both hotel occupancy and park visitation. To capitalize on the business potential from increased connectivity brought by two mega transportation projects, namely Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the High Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section), HKDL increased promotion of the resort as the preferred choice for a staycation and launched tailored products in the connected markets in the Greater Bay area as well as central and western regions of mainland China. - Momentum continues with new attractions and increased connectivity 2019 will be another amazing year with incredible new experiences and offerings for Disney fans. “The launch of a new Marvel-themed attraction as part of a multiyear expansion and the addition of year-round entertainment offerings and products, along with the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the High Speed Rail (Hong Kong Section), will allow us to continue our positive momentum,” said Young. In addition to the unique year-round seasonal events for Christmas, Chinese New Year, spring, summer and Halloween, HKDL has launched the “World’s Biggest Mouse Party!”, which runs through February 24, 2019, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Mickey Mouse. On March 31, 2019, HKDL will open “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Nano Battle!” to the enjoyment of Marvel fans from around the world. This all-new interactive experience is the second instalment in the expansion project that will continue to build HKDL’s Marvel-themed area into an ultimate hub in Asia of thrilling Marvel experiences. This new ride will extend the success of “Iron Man Experience” as guests fight alongside Ant-Man and The Wasp (played by Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, respectively, from the popular blockbuster film). Guests enter the world of Marvel in Tomorrowland at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Science and Technology Pavilion in the Stark Expo. After boarding a state-of-the-art vehicle at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s research and design facility, guests will join Ant-Man and The Wasp in an epic battle against Arnim Zola and his army of evil Hydra Swarm-bots. Also part of the expansion project, the new Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in HKDL’s castle area will be unveiled in summer of 2019. Young guests can make their dreams come true as they transform into princesses. The boutique offers an array of gorgeous dresses and accessories, which include Disney Princess favourites such as Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Belle, Elsa, Tiana and Jasmine. This new location gives guests an even more royal experience, thanks to the interactive Magic Mirror, which tells the stories of everyone’s favourite princesses in a highly-immersive royal setting. To complement existing offerings at the resort hotels, Disney Explorers Lodge will add a new children’s playroom named “Nemo’s Recreation Reef”, inspired by the popular Disney•Pixar film “Finding Nemo”. Opening in the summer of 2019, young guests can have fun in the world of Nemo and unleash their creativity during arts and crafts sessions. - Continuous positive contribution to the Hong Kong community HKDL is committed to contributing to and serving the Hong Kong community. In fiscal year 2018, the resort brought approximately HK$8.9 billion of value added to Hong Kong, equivalent to around 0.34% of the city’s overall GDP. Additionally, 19,000 jobs (in terms of man-years) were created during the fiscal year, benefiting Hong Kong’s overall economy. On average, HKDL employed more than 5,200 full-time and 2,300 part-time cast members during the year, remaining one of the city’s largest employers in the tourism and family entertainment industry. The resort provided cast with nearly 400,000 hours of professional and technical training during the year. Among its various community efforts, HKDL is particularly dedicated to bringing happiness to children with illnesses and special needs and fulfilling their dreams. A key initiative this year was the “Dress Well” project launched with Hong Kong Children’s Hospital to fund, design and produce tailor-made clothing for in-patient children. This first-of-its-kind collaboration with a public hospital takes children’s emotional and treatment needs into account in the design of the clothing, with an aim to reducing the stress of sick children, their families and the caretakers. The project is funded through a HK$4.1 million donation from The Walt Disney Company. The resort continued to fund Playright’s “Hospital Play” programme in the Princess Margaret Hospital Nephrology Ward and supported Make-A-Wish Foundation to grant over 20 special wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses. It also activated the #ShareYourEars social campaign to help promote Make-A-Wish Foundation in Hong Kong. In fiscal year 2018, HKDL donated more than 100,000 complimentary park admission tickets to over 400 charitable organisations who organise park visits for people in need.

New Raid Campaign ‘Café de Petit’ is Coming to Destiny Child on Valentine’s Day

- Destiny Child’s official raid campaign ‘Café de Petit’ is now open and will run until March 7 - Chance to acquire the all new 5-Star Childs Morgan and Verdelet, plus the raid exclusive skins - Season pass, events and special packages updated Masters of Childs, prepare for a new challenge! LINE GAMES Corporation (https://line.games) is announcing the grand opening of its mobile CCG Destiny Child’s new raid campaign ‘Café de Petit’ for players to embark on. Starting today on Valentine’s Day, a host of new content is available in Destiny Child, including Ragna Break Café de Petit; exclusive season pass; and special events to bring prizes to all players. Ragna Break Season 1 Café de Petit features a new episode on demons undercovered as waitresses in an ordinary café, and will run throughout the next three weeks until March 7. All players over level 12 can participate in the raid by playing the dungeon, and will be rewarded with 5-Star Childs Morgan and Verdelet, plus the new raid skin Loyal Keeper Morgan. The Ragna Coins earned by clearing raid bosses can be traded for various in-game items as well. The latest content update also includes the following features and events: MOA MOA PARA-Dice Event: Roll the dice to win 5-Star Equipment, Weapon, Armor and Accessory Tickets. Players to reset the board ten times will be rewarded with a special scroll that will summon one of the seven exclusive 5-Star Childs. Devil Pass Season 3 and bonus packages: Unlock the new season pass all the way to the final tier to get the exclusive Child skin, Classic Servant Morgan. Also offered is the limited time-only Crystal Packages that will give out one 5-Star Character Summon scroll for every two Crystal Packages purchased. The bonus gift applies for maximum four packages, and is available until February 28. Destiny Child is available to download worldwide on Android and iOS. For more information on the update and the game, visit official Facebook and Destiny Child Community.

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