Hong Kong Disneyland records loss for second year in a row, as mainland visitor numbers dwindle
Park chief blames regional tourism slump, dismissing idea that new Shanghai Disneyland has drawn visitors away
Hong Kong Disneyland has reported its second straight year in the red, with a HK$171 million loss for 2016, as it grapples with fewer mainland tourists visiting the city.
The figure was worse than the HK$148 million hole the park posted in 2015.
Visitor numbers at the theme park on Lantau Island dropped 10 per cent to 6.1 million during the year ending in October, dragged down by a 21 per cent slump in the number of visitors from the mainland, which stood at 2.2 million.
The park’s new managing director, Samuel Lau Wing-kee, blamed the poor performance on the mainland’s economic downturn, unfavourable currency conditions, cold and wet weather and stiff regional competition.
But he stopped short of attributing the mainland visitor decline to competition from Disney’s Shanghai park, which opened in June.
