Disneyland to woo Guangzhou families
Dennis Eng
Efforts by Hong Kong Disneyland to help bolster visitor numbers during the predictably less busy weekday period are likely to include setting up a sales office in Guangzhou to better target mainland customers.
``We are looking at having a small office in Guangzhou,'' said Don Robinson, group managing director of the theme park.
He added that discussions to co-operate with the tour, travel and hospitality trade would include marketing the world's 11th Disney Park to weekday holidaymakers.
``We're not worried about attendance on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays but we do need to make sure that attendance continues Monday through Friday,'' Robinson said.
Hong Kong Disneyland is sticking to its original attendance forecast of 5.6 million customers in the first year of operation with the opening slated for late next year or early 2006.
The theme park said its first phase, which includes two hotels providing some 2,100 rooms, has a projected annual target of 10 million visitors. Work on phase two is expected to commence when this target has been reached, although Robinson predicted this is still ``a long way away''.
The Walt Disney Company derives almost one-third of its revenues from theme parks. In the US, the slump in attendance at theme parks that started with the September 11 terrorist attacks continued through to last year.
But expectations are growing that this year will end on a positive note with analysts looking at Disney to report some very strong theme park results in the third quarter.
The rosy outlook has also made some theme park operators in the US bold enough to raise admission prices this summer to more than US$50 (HK$390). Others have disguised price hikes in ingenious marketing ploys that give the ticket holder so-called ``front-of-the-line'' privileges for almost double the regular price.
Universal Studios Hollywood sells a front-of-the-line pass for US$89.75 while a regular adult ticket costs US$49.75.
Likewise, Lego Group's Legoland California offers front-of-the-line access for US$100 compared with the US$43.95 adult ticket.
The queue-jumping innovation was first introduced by Disney with FastPass, a service that basically allows customers to make an appointment for a ride.
Robinson declined to speculate on the pricing of tickets to Hong Kong Disneyland.
To promote the theme park in Hong Hong, Disney on Thursday unveiled the appointment of Cantopop star Jacky Cheung as its celebrity spokesman. Known as one of the ``kings'' of Hong Kong's music industry, Cheung will host a new Disney television programme, Magical World of Disneyland.
24 July 2004 / 02:26 AM
Dennis Eng
Efforts by Hong Kong Disneyland to help bolster visitor numbers during the predictably less busy weekday period are likely to include setting up a sales office in Guangzhou to better target mainland customers.
``We are looking at having a small office in Guangzhou,'' said Don Robinson, group managing director of the theme park.
He added that discussions to co-operate with the tour, travel and hospitality trade would include marketing the world's 11th Disney Park to weekday holidaymakers.
``We're not worried about attendance on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays but we do need to make sure that attendance continues Monday through Friday,'' Robinson said.
Hong Kong Disneyland is sticking to its original attendance forecast of 5.6 million customers in the first year of operation with the opening slated for late next year or early 2006.
The theme park said its first phase, which includes two hotels providing some 2,100 rooms, has a projected annual target of 10 million visitors. Work on phase two is expected to commence when this target has been reached, although Robinson predicted this is still ``a long way away''.
The Walt Disney Company derives almost one-third of its revenues from theme parks. In the US, the slump in attendance at theme parks that started with the September 11 terrorist attacks continued through to last year.
But expectations are growing that this year will end on a positive note with analysts looking at Disney to report some very strong theme park results in the third quarter.
The rosy outlook has also made some theme park operators in the US bold enough to raise admission prices this summer to more than US$50 (HK$390). Others have disguised price hikes in ingenious marketing ploys that give the ticket holder so-called ``front-of-the-line'' privileges for almost double the regular price.
Universal Studios Hollywood sells a front-of-the-line pass for US$89.75 while a regular adult ticket costs US$49.75.
Likewise, Lego Group's Legoland California offers front-of-the-line access for US$100 compared with the US$43.95 adult ticket.
The queue-jumping innovation was first introduced by Disney with FastPass, a service that basically allows customers to make an appointment for a ride.
Robinson declined to speculate on the pricing of tickets to Hong Kong Disneyland.
To promote the theme park in Hong Hong, Disney on Thursday unveiled the appointment of Cantopop star Jacky Cheung as its celebrity spokesman. Known as one of the ``kings'' of Hong Kong's music industry, Cheung will host a new Disney television programme, Magical World of Disneyland.
24 July 2004 / 02:26 AM