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HK Disneyland underestimates festival potential
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-02-05 08:30 Hong Kong Disneyland underestimated the market
needs over the Chinese Lunar New Year, admitted the park's top executive
Saturday, apologizing the third time for denying entry of visitors after
sold-out in the holidays.
"This Chinese New Year...we have had record 'sell out'
crowds," Bill Ernest, the park's executive vice president and managing director,
told a press conference held here on Saturday.
Hundreds of
tourists wait outside the iron gate in front of Hong Kong Disneyland
February 2, 2006. Hundreds of tourists holding tickets gathered outside
the theme park demanding for entry on Thursday after they were turned away
as the theme park was full. [Reuters] |
"Because of the high demand, we were not able to accommodate everyone who
came to the park," said Ernest, who had apologized for the same situation
through written statement twice over the previous two days.
On Wednesday and Thursday, hundreds of visitors with tickets were shut out of
the park, which closed its gate soon after opening for reaching its maximum
reception capability of around 30,000 people.
Most of the stranded visitors came far away such as cities in China's
mainland to fulfill their Disney dreams. They planned the trip several weeks or
months ago, booked half-year-valid tickets, which allow them to visit the park
on any day in half a year since the purchase.
Being refused entry when the park was full, the tourists grew furious, waving
their tickets, arguing with the park staff, and a few scaled up the grills for
entrance.
The above images repeatedly broadcast by local cable TV were not "what
Disneyland's reputation is built on," said Ernest, while extending apology to
"those who have been inconvenienced."
Promising reimbursement to people who couldn't get into the park, he
reiterated that they are the theme park's first Chinese New Year holidays which
end on Saturday in the mainland.
"Every market has unique dynamics that must be taken into consideration and
must be learned over time," said he, stressing that the influx of tourists over
the Chinese New Year holidays was "unprecedented."
Four months ago, the 3 billion U.S. dollar theme park received a lower number
of visitors than expected in the "golden week," the first week of October when
Chinese on the mainland celebrating the National Day.
Visitors to the park during the Chinese New Year holidays, however, doubled
that of those in the "golden week" and were much more than the expectation of
the management, said Ernest.
"We've never seen anything like this before," said he, declining to give any
specific number.
Aiming to earn 19 billion U.S. dollars over 40 years, Hong Kong Disneyland
planned to draw 5.6 million visitors in the first year starting from last
September. One third of the 5.6 million people are expected to come from China's
mainland.
Some 12.5 million people from the mainland visited Hong Kong in last year,
totaling almost half of all visitors to the city in the whole year, according to
data by the city's immigration authorities.
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