From Lionel Messi to Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Nadal, BTS’ Jin and Donald Trump, celebrities in the tourism business
- Sports stars, singers and TV personalities, from Lionel Messi to Celine Dion and Donald Trump, have put their names to restaurants, hotels, even airlines
- Sting, Yao Ming and Francis Ford Coppola all own vineyards, while celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Lewis Hamilton and Jon Bon Jovi part-own food businesses
Your celebrity-themed holiday is all booked. You’ve organised flights and a hotel, restaurant tables and visits to vineyards. You’ve even put some money aside for a flutter in the casino.
In truth, a world tour of places owned by global superstars probably isn’t feasible, but it might be fun to try – especially if we’re allowed to use a time machine.
Anyone strolling along Canton Road, Kowloon, on the evening on May 29, 1994, would have noticed the crowds and commotion, the gridlocked traffic and hefty police presence.
The star-studded opening party for the latest addition to the Planet Hollywood themed restaurant chain was attended by some of Tinseltown’s (and Hong Kong’s) biggest names.
Investor-owner Bruce Willis was joined by Jackie Chan, Raymond Chow Man-wai, Patrick Swayze and Jean Claude Van Damme. Partner Sylvester Stallone rocked up in a rickshaw, but brawny backer Arnold Schwarzenegger was otherwise engaged.
The company filed for bankruptcy five years later, then again in 2001, as a result of the economic slowdown triggered by the 9/11 attacks and changing tastes. The Hong Kong branch closed its doors in 2001.
