HONG KONG: It was always expected that Hong Kong Disneyland would be facing stiff competition for tourism dollars after Shanghai Disneyland opened its doors in June.
Questions were asked about whether people from mainland China would prefer to visit a newer and bigger park that is, for many, easier to get to. And would tourists from around the region be drawn to visit Disney’s latest addition to its roster of Asian parks at the expense of its smaller cousin?
But now that Shanghai Disney has been up and running for five months, worries about the impact on the Hong Kong attraction appear to be somewhat unfounded.
When Channel NewsAsia visited the park recently, visitors appeared generally happy at what was on offer.
“We hear that there are just too many people at Shanghai Disneyland,” said theme park fan Aiko Kitano, who was visiting from Japan. “We’ve been to Hong Kong Disneyland twice now and we like it because the queues are not as long as the ones in Tokyo Disneyland. We get to go on the Space Mountain (known as Hyperspace Mountain in Hong Kong) ride so many more times here!”
Hongkonger Happy Chan, who is a big fan of Hong Kong Disneyland and has come many times a year ever since the park opened, told Channel NewsAsia that going to the Shanghai park has no appeal.
“I like the fact that Hong Kong Disneyland is small and concentrated which means I can finish the park in one day,” said Chan, adding that he has no intention of visiting Shanghai Disneyland because he has all the entertainment he wants on his doorstep.
NEW ATTRACTIONS
But some other visitors, while satisfied with the current offerings at Hong Kong Disneyland, felt that the park needs to be proactive in ensuring it stays relevant and appealing.
"I think first of all, Hong Kong Disney has to differentiate itself from Shanghai Disney. Because both Hong Kong and Shanghai Disneyland are under the same umbrella, they probably focus on the same things,” said Misha Chou, a Taiwanese who has been working in Hong Kong for three years. “Space is one question too. Because I heard that Shanghai Disneyland is much bigger.”
For Singaporean Youtuber DisneyDwayne, who has been to every Disney park across the world, Hong Kong Disneyland looks set to rise to the challenge of keeping up its competitive edge.
“I think the park has been keeping itself in the game,” he said. “It is special in itself being the smallest park, having a more intimate atmosphere and it has its own unique features no other park has, like Toy Story Land. The new thing coming this year end is the Iron Man experience. I believe it will rival the Transformers ride we have at Universal Studios Singapore.”
Toy Story Land in Hong Kong Disneyland( Photo: Genevieve Loh)
The Iron Man experience is one of the new attractions Hong Kong Disneyland will be unveiling to ensure it retains its appeal.
“Hong Kong Disneyland is excited to bring the first-ever Marvel-themed ride in a Disney Park to Hong Kong,” said Samuel Lau, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.
“The Iron Man Experience is a unique immersive motion experience using Hong Kong as the story background for the very first time. We are proud to give local and overseas guests a different perspective and experience of Hong Kong while promoting our vibrant city to the world at the same time.”
The park spent over three years to design and create the multi-sensory immersive motion experience - complete with flight simulators, 3-D projection, surround sound and other special effects. The attraction is scheduled to open in January 2017.
Disney Parks’ first Marvel-themed ride, the Iron Man Experience (Photo: Hong Kong Disneyland)
APPEALING TO INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
According to experts, new attractions like these are essential for Hong Kong Disney to ensure it does not lose out to its Shanghai equivalent.
“The theme park in Hong Kong has been established for 11 years, equipped with lots of operating experience as well as high quality of service,” said Catherine So, General Manager of North Eastern Asia Region at online travel company Expedia. “Hong Kong Disneyland has a more international outlook as there are popular (temporary) attractions like the Frozen Village for Frozen and the upcoming Iron Man themed areas, whilst Shanghai Disneyland puts strong emphasis on its Chinese features.”
She added that while Shanghai Disneyland proved to be an instant hit when it first opened in June with tickets sold out and hotels fully booked, Expedia has seen signs that the number of visitors in the third quarter “receded a bit”.
“One of the reasons is that the ticket prices of Shanghai Disneyland are the most expensive in Asia,” she explained. “Shanghai Disneyland responded by taking 25 per cent off their prices in September to attract visitors.”
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So Kam-leung weighed in on the issue earlier this year, also suggesting that there is room for both parks to flourish.
“Shanghai Disneyland highlights more Chinese characteristics ... [Hong Kong is an] international playground,” he was quoted as saying, reiterating that Hong Kong catered more to international travellers while Shanghai targeted mainland visitors. He added that the Hong Kong government and Disney were in discussions for the park’s further expansion.
Dumbo The Flying Elephant in Fantasyland, Hong Kong Disneyland (Photo: Genevieve Loh)
The Hong Kong government has a vested interest in maintaining the success of the Disney park as it owns 53 per cent of the attraction.
Park expansion and new special attractions are on the wishlist of some Hong Kong Disneyland visitors.
"I think they have to build more roller coasters...and a bigger venue" said Andrew Wong from Hong Kong. "They could build something special that other Disneylands do not have. Like a zoo or some freaky roller coasters."
Catherine So pointed out that even though Shanghai Disney is bigger, its Hong Kong equivalent fits into a tourism landscape that offers a multitude of attractions.
“HK Disneyland can always keep up to its game. Furthermore, Hong Kong Disneyland can have further synergy with other tourist attractions in Lantau Island such as Ngong Ping 360, the Big Buddha and Tai O Stilt Houses to offer the true diversity of Hong Kong to visitors around the world.”