Tourism to Hong Kong is already booming and the arrival of the Disney family is set to boost it even further. More than five million visitors are expected to visit the park in its first year, many of them from China. Tourists from the mainland have been allowed to travel to Hong Kong since 2003. Since then, millions have flocked to buy brand-name goods from its luxury malls, crowding to its jewellery stores and restaurants.

Mickey will be hoping he can lure them to his park, which sits on reclaimed land between the mountains and the South China Sea. For the US-based Disney corporation, Hong Kong is a launch pad into China, the world's most populous nation and fastest-growing market. However, the Americans have been careful not to ride roughshod over local customs and traditions. In this venture, Mickey Mouse is holding hands with the Chinese dragon.

Throughout the park, you will find the colour red, which signifies luck and wealth to the Chinese, and the resort hotels do not have a fourth floor, because this number is considered unlucky. One of Disney's biggest attractions at its other parks, the Haunted Mansion, was left out here because of the Chinese people's veneration of the dead.

You won't be able to find a clock in the stores, as presenting a clock as a gift is strictly forbidden in Chinese custom. Although Goofy wears one, no green hats are on sale, as the Chinese believe that a man putting on a green hat means he is cuckolded. Even the burgers at the park are made with spicy pork and served with a bowl of rice.

For the design of the park, feng shui experts were consulted. This ancient Chinese practice involves ensuring that there is a good flow of energy. The main gate of the park was moved to face the right direction, water features were put in "to accumulate wealth" and ornamental feng shui boulders were placed to ensure good fortune does not flow out the back of the theme park and hotels.

Even the opening date, September 12, was chosen because Chinese astrologers said it was auspicious. Exactly 2,238 crystal lotuses decorate the Chinese restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel because in the local dialect of Cantonese, the numbers sound like the phrase "easily generate wealth." The main ballroom, where weddings are to be hosted, was designed to be 888 square meters - another lucky number. Visitors are greeted at the entrance by a large bronze fountain with Mickey Mouse surfing on a jet of water spouted by a whale - a symbol of good luck.

There are four "lands" in the park, each with a different theme. Main Street USA offers visitors a glimpse of life in a typical American town in the early 1900s, with steam train rides, candy shops and marching bands. Fantasyland is where storybook characters come to life. Meet Cinderella, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh and visit Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

You can take a ride on Dumbo the flying elephant, on Cinderella's carousel or in one of the Mad Hatter's tea cups. In Adventureland you can take a jungle river cruise, visit the Lion King and catch a raft to Tarzan's island. In Tomorrowland you can enter the future with the fabulous ride at Space Mountain, pilot a rocket jet or fire hand-held "laser cannons" as you ride star cruisers.

With scores of food outlets, you won't go hungry. Enjoy a Guangdong-style barbeque and wok-fried dishes at the Tahitian Terrace in Adventureland or try American fast food with an Asian twist at the Starliner Diner. At the Comet Cafe you can enjoy noodles and wok-fried food from the Jiang Nan region of China.

Tickets can be bought on-line on the Disney website, at the Hong Kong Central MTR station or at the Disneyland Main Gate. The price for adults is HK$295 (US$38) on regular days and HK$350 (US$45) on peak days (weekends, public holidays and other peak periods). The price for children aged 3-11 is HK$210 (US$27) on regular days and HK$250 (US$32) on peak days. Kids under 3 enter for free and there are special prices for over-65s.

There are two hotels at the park, but many visitors prefer to stay in Hong Kong and Kowloon hotels to be closer to all the other attractions in the city. On the Disneyland Express train, it only takes 21 minutes to get from Kowloon to the park and 26 minutes from Hong Kong Central. If you decide to travel from the airport, it will only take you 12 minutes.

I opted to stay in Kowloon, only a short ferry ride across the bay from Hong Kong island. We chose a family suite at the YMCA Salisbury Hotel, which is more like a regular hotel and not at all like a YMCA. Recently refurbished, it is perfectly located across the road from the ferry port and the front room share the same view as that of the five-star Peninsula Hotel next door.

We soon learnt that once we had been to the park, there was still a lot more to do in Hong Kong. On the Kowloon side, there's the Space Museum. It is great for children, with telescopes to view the skies and computer quizzes to test what they have learnt. At the Science Museum, there's a play are for children aged 3-7. Kowloon Park, on Nathan Road, is also a great playground for children, with an aviary, flamingo pond and swimming pools.

On Hong Kong Island, the biggest draw is Ocean Park, which has a shark aquarium, life-sized dinosaurs, animal performances and some thrilling rides. You can also visit the Zoological and Botanical Gardens with its jaguars, monkeys, birds, and other animals, and Hong Kong Park with its greenhouse, aviary, children's playground, and climbing tower.

For a special treat, you can take the tram to the top of Victoria Peak, which has the most spectacular views of the skyscraper-lined harbour below, but also a host of attractions like Madame Tussaud's, a Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium and the Peak Explorer, a motion-simulator theatre.

You should also make sure to take in some of the cultural sights and uniquely Hong Kong experiences. Ride a junk in the harbour, visit a temple at dawn, bargain for fakes in the crowded markets, eat bird's nest soup and watch dragon boat racing. Your taste of Hong Kong will have you back for more.