HK has to work harder to attract mainland tourists

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying (R) is greeted by a Minnie Mouse mascot (C) as he attends the opening ceremony of Grizzly Gulch, the largest themed area in Hong Kong Disneyland's expansion. [Photo/Agencies]

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort announced it was laying off around 100 employees on Friday. The theme park reported a loss of about HK$150 million last year, and visitor numbers dropped by almost 10 percent to 6.8 million, with a 23-percent decline in mainland tourists visiting the park. Shanghai Disney Resort, which is three times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland, is due to open on June 16. Hong Kong will have to make greater efforts to attract mainland tourists, Global Times commented on Monday:

Hong Kong Disneyland will face even greater challenges, as the tourism industry in Hong Kong is still experiencing a downturn. In stark contrast, Shanghai Disney Resort looks set to become the most popular theme park worldwide, with tickets sold out in advance for the first three months after its opening.

As far as Hong Kong is concerned, it shouldn't put all its eggs in one basket and rely on mainland tourists. It is located close to the mainland, which is one of its advantages. While the Shanghai theme park is likely to attract a lot of visitors from northern and central China, people in the Pearl River Delta and neighboring areas will likely still visit Hong Kong.

We must not equate the opening of Shanghai Disney Resort with a death sentence for Hong Kong Disneyland.

The fall in the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong is partially due to the impression that Hong Kong is not welcoming of them. Hong Kong should make efforts to address this issue if it wants to compete with the mainland's developing domestic tourism industry.