Hong Kong Disneyland expects sales of annual passes to the theme park to surge over the next two years, from the about 56,000 passes sold so far, senior vice-president of marketing Jill Estorino said. Speaking to the media for the first time since joining the theme park about eight weeks ago, Mrs Estorino said the plan was to double annual pass sales over two years. The passes went on sale last October. Of the locals who visit the theme park, 23 per cent have annual passes. Pass holders also average one visit to the theme park every two months. The most expensive annual pass for adults costs HK$1,800. Mrs Estorino also said the theme park expected attendance next week during the Labour Day holiday on May 1 to be reasonable, despite travel trade fears that many mainland tour groups will stay away following reports of tourist shopping scams. 'It appears that the government has taken this issue very seriously and we support that,' she said. Maple Lee, who joined Hong Kong Disneyland as vice-president of marketing last month, added that attendances were less concentrated around the mainland 'golden week' periods and more evenly spread throughout the year. During the Lunar New Year holiday, about 70 per cent of visitors were from the mainland. The park also is lining up events to help boost attendances. Starting next Friday, the theme park's Adventureland zone will be transformed for two months under a Pirate Takeover. From May 15 to July 1 children born in 1997 will receive free annual passes as part of the handover's 10th anniversary celebrations. In July two new attractions - Animation Academy and Mickey's Water Works - will be unveiled. In the next two months Disney will also distribute more than one million DVDs highlighting the park's attractions to mainlanders. Mickey's friends The number of annual passes to Hong Kong Disneyland sold thus far: 56,000