First large-scale lay-offs at Hong Kong Disneyland strike fear in city’s tourism industry

Hong Kong Disneyland fired an unknown number of staff, including some managers, on Friday, with the theme park only saying the figure was “below 100”.

This would mark Disneyland’s first large-scale sackings since it opened in 2005, and came just after the park reported a loss of HK$148 million for last year.

The park’s first descent into the red in five years was followed by the sudden departure of its long-time managing director Andrew Kam last month, which was never fully explained, and raises questions about its future with competition in the form of the Shanghai Disney Resort, due to open in June this year.

Tourism insiders expressed fears that the sackings at one of city’s biggest employers was only the start of “massive lay-offs” in the whole tourism industry, and there were calls for a proper explanation to the public.

Disneyland was tight-lipped, only saying the decision was an “operational adjustment” to pave the way for future development while delivering services “in the most efficient way possible”.

The Post has learned that back-office staff were targeted for termination – including restaurant and hotel management as well as security. Frontline workers were not affected.