Japanese wedding planner woos Hong Kong (hktdc.com)


	InvestHK's Simon Gapin (right), congratulates President of Watabe Wedding Hong Kong, Yoshiharu Onaga, at the opening ceremony of Watabe Wedding Hong Kong Ltd

Hong Kong's high standard of living and purchasing power combined with its location have attracted a worldwide wedding planning consultancy.

Watabe Wedding Hong Kong Limited, announced the opening of their new sub-headquarters in Hong Kong in October 2007. The company will help couples from Hong Kong as well as other countries to find a total bridal solution - the perfect location, wedding outfits and photography to complete their wedding preparations. The investment caters to the growing demand locally for destination weddings.

After a prolonged period of intensive market research, Hong Kong emerged as the clear choice for the company's further expansion in Asia. President of Watabe Wedding Corporation, Takao Watabe, said: "We seek to go beyond our clients expectations and deliver a truly memorable destination wedding that everyone will cherish and enjoy. Hong Kong fitted well with our international strategic expansion plans. The city has a large number of professional couples, international companies and wealthy individuals seeking a total bridal solution."

"Watabe Wedding Hong Kong will serve local couples seeking a wedding away from Hong Kong. In the near future, we intend to include wedding planning services for local weddings which will include a local photo shooting service for clients wishing to marry in Hong Kong. This office will be the only location in the Asia Pacific charged with similar responsibilities and tasks as our headquarters in Japan."

Associate Director-General at Invest Hong Kong, Simon Galpin, welcomed the company's decision to set up in Hong Kong. "Hong Kong's purchasing power is the second highest in Asia after Japan. The city also has a strong outbound travel market. Like any good marriage, these two factors are a winning combination – a fact not lost on the thousands of international companies who have set up their operations in Hong Kong."

Watabe Wedding is headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. The company was established in 1964 and since then has helped over 350, 000 couples tie the knot. The company has a global reach with offices in Japan, Hong Kong, Canada, US, Hawaii, Mocronesia (Guam and Saipan), Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Bali, Europe and Shanghai. The Hong Kong branch currently has six staff, but plans to increase that number in the near future. Source: InvestHK