Hong Kong Disneyland is aggressively launching new attractions and events these two months in a bid to attract more visitors.
The park celebrates its first anniversary next Tuesday
And to draw even more mainland Chinese, who currently make up the bulk of visitors, the management is revamping its marketing campaign in the mainland by improving ties with Chinese travel agents.
Hong Kong Disneyland is pulling out all stops to attract more visitors, after admitting it will fall short of its first year target.
Among the new attractions that's been launched are a fantasy world known as Autopia, where no driving licence is required even for the very young and at the Stitch Encounter, real-time computer graphics technology allows the audience to interact with the lovable Disney character.
Come next month, visitors can be thrilled by a gallery of villains, among them Cruella de Vil and Captain Hook, and just in time for Halloween, when it hopes to upstage an annual party by rival Ocean Park that's a crowd puller.
Of course, Hong Kong Disneyland has not forgotten about its mainstay characters as well, like Mickey and Minnie and they are proving very popular in the merchandising department of the theme park.
To address complaints about the high cost of tickets relative to the size of the park – this being the smallest Disney park worldwide – the Hong Kong management has introduced a Summer pass programme to boost visitor numbers.
"The first time I visited was last year when the park had just opened. This time, I visited two days in a row because of the Summer pass as it's not expensive," said one visitor.
The programme's early success has spurred Hong Kong Disneyland to explore other pricing schemes.
Susan Chan, Director, Hong Kong Disneyland, said: "The response has been very good and we're now thinking of introducing annual passes."
The management has declined to give details of the park's financial performance for its debut year, but did reveal there is enough cash-flow to proceed with expansion plans. – CNA/ch
