Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Thursday, Mar 23, 2023

Hong Kong Disneyland banks on mainland Chinese for a happy new year

Hong Kong Disneyland banks on mainland Chinese for a happy new year

Loss-making theme park hopes reopening of border will bring back visitors after three hard years

Hong Kong Disneyland is hiring 600 frontline staff and has lined up a string of new features for visitors, as quarantine-free travel from mainland China appears imminent.

Managing director Michael Moriarty said the theme park had been gearing up in anticipation of an influx of visitors, including from the mainland and Southeast Asia, after three tough years when tourism dried up during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are very focused on the mainland and preparing for guests to arrive,” he said in an interview. “We are listening closely to rumours and have started preparations.”


Hong Kong Disneyland Resort managing director Michael Moriarty.

The long-awaited reopening of Hong Kong’s border with the mainland looked likely to happen on January 8 at the earliest, with priority for those travelling for business or family reasons.

Beijing has also announced it will lift coronavirus restrictions for overseas travellers from January 8.

Moriarty said the theme park had already prepared travel products that would be attractive to mainland Chinese, but did not elaborate.

“We have to be prudent with our spending and it really is a question of waiting for real change to happen,” he said, referring to the actual arrival of mainland visitors.

Moriarty also said the park welcomed the further relaxation of pandemic measures, which would “no doubt help facilitate a friction-free experience for inbound travellers and propel the resort toward post-pandemic recovery”.

But he noted the need to be patient as various local sectors such as catering and tourism were facing challenges and it would take time for them to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Disneyland has prepared products aimed at mainland visitors.


Among the park’s new features this year is an attraction called World of Frozen, inspired by the 2013 Disney animated film Frozen, about a princess who gets the help of an iceman, his reindeer and a snowman to find her sister.

Opening in the second half of the year, it will include a roller coaster and a scenic ride called Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleighs. Guests can also visit the movie character Elsa’s ice palace in Frozen Ever After.

The park will also unveil a new statue of founder Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse this year.

Moriarty said during the pandemic, the park focused on Hong Kong residents, and succeeded in drawing families, young adults and seniors.

A new night attraction called Momentous, introduced in June last year and featuring more than 100 characters from Disney and Pixar films, proved especially popular.

“We launched Momentous in a grand and sophisticated way to create a compelling reason for guests to visit the park. Our guests have loved it,” Moriarty said.

Disneyland in Hong Kong has been focusing on city residents.


Last year also saw more visitors from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, as pandemic measures were relaxed there.

The park on Lantau Island is 52 per cent owned by the Hong Kong government, with the rest held by the US-based Walt Disney Company via a joint venture called Hong Kong International Theme Parks.

It has faced a series of blows in recent years. Tourism declined through the second half of 2019 as Hong Kong experienced months of social unrest, then visitor arrivals dried up altogether when Covid-19 struck in 2020.

It posted HK$2.4 billion (US$306.7 million) in losses for its last financial year – the seventh consecutive loss-making year. The park has turned a profit only three times since opening in 2005.

But lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung, who represents the tourism sector, was optimistic that mainland Chinese visitors, especially from the Greater Bay Area in neighbouring Guangdong province, would give Hong Kong tourism a boost once borders reopened.

That would benefit the city’s attractions, including Hong Kong Disneyland.

“I believe Moriarty has prepared adequately,” he said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
Close
0:00
0:00
NYPD is setting up barricades outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trump arrest.
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
The US government has charged Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with leading a $1 billion fraud scheme that cheated thousands of followers out of their money.
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
The BBC problem about China
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
2 universities in Hong Kong embrace use of ChatGPT, other AI tools
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
Missing Chinese banker was working to set up Singapore family office
Hong Kong ditches Covid mask mandate after 945 days
Xi Jinping and His Wife Meet with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
When it comes to Tesla vs Lamborghini, an empty vessel makes more noise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
North Korea test-fires an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan west of Hokkaido
US bombed Nord Stream gas pipelines, claims investigative journalist Seymour Hersh
×