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The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built and owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited, a joint venture of the
Government of Hong Kong The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...
and
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the northeastern tip of
Lantau Island Lantau Island (also Lantao Island, Lan Tao) is the largest island in Hong Kong, located West of Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula, and is part of the New Territories. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands ...
, approximately two kilometres from Discovery Bay. Officially opened on 12 September 2005, the resort contains the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park, the
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is the second Disney hotel in the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. The theme of the hotel is of a Victorian style, and is located near Disneyland Harbour. The hotel is built on ...
,
Disney's Hollywood Hotel Disney's Hollywood Hotel is one of three hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It officially opened with the resort on Monday, 12 September 2005. It is themed to 1930s Hollywood. The hotel has over 60 ...
,
Disney Explorers Lodge The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built and owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited, a joint venture of the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the no ...
and several retail, dining and entertainment facilities covering of the island. The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is the second Disney park extension into Asia after the opening of the
Tokyo Disney Resort The (local nickname ''TDR'') is a theme park and vacation resort located in Urayasu, Chiba, Japan, just east of Tokyo. The resort is fully owned and operated by The Oriental Land Company under a licence from The Walt Disney Company, who co ...
more than 20 years earlier. Currently, the Resort is overseen by managing director Michael Moriarty who reports to Jill Estorino, President and Managing Director, Disney Parks International.


History and development


Concept and Background

In 1998, a Hong Kong theme park was proposed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The designs made it the smallest of the Disney parks. The
Legislative Council of Hong Kong The Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LegCo) is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong. It sits under China's " one country, two systems" constitutional arrangement, and is the power centre of Hong Kon ...
gave approval in 1999 for funding the construction at a former shipyard. A
joint-venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
company, Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited (HKITP), was created in 1999 with Disney investing US$316 million for a 43% equity stake in the project. The Phase One build-out included a projected 10 million annual visitor Disneyland-style theme park, 2,100 hotel rooms, and an area for retail, dining and entertainment. The project was estimated to create 18,000 jobs at opening (both Disney and other employment) and up to 36,000 jobs over the following 20 years. The Hong Kong Government estimated that the first phase of the project will generate a present economic value of HK$148 billion (US$19 billion), or about 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) in benefits to Hong Kong over 40 years of operation. In 2000, Disney announced a second Chinese theme park resort in mainland China. Tourism workers associations and lawmakers want Disney to drop the mainland project to protect this and general tourism in Hong Kong. Disney promised not to open such a park for eight years. Government Secretary for Economic Service Stephan Ip Shu-kwan and Walt Disney Attractions Chairman Judson Green signed the master project agreement in November 2000. The government began dredging for the park resort in July 2000. Fish around Ma Wan died as a result of
land reclamation Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamat ...
.Kan, Wendy (25 December 2000)
Smells a Little Fishy
''Times Asia''. Retrieved 5 May 2007.


Construction

The construction of the resort itself started in January 2003. The SARS outbreak of 2003 did slow but not stop building and saved HK$1 billion as construction cost dropped. Inspiration Lake, an artificial lake of some 12 hectares, was also created to serve the resort's water irrigation needs. In an effort to avoid cultural friction similar to what happened when
Euro Disney Resort Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origi ...
opened in France, Disney has taken efforts to make this new park reflect the local culture. Feng shui consultants have helped with the layout of the park and the grounds. Incense was burned when the construction of each building was completed, and one of the main ballrooms is 888 square meters in size, as eight is an auspicious number in Chinese culture, signifying fortune. The hotels will skip the number four when numbering of their floors because four is considered bad luck. Hong Kong Disneyland Cast Members speak English,
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
, and Mandarin. Around 500 of the Grand Opening Team were trained at
Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
while their home park was being constructed. Disney originally planned to serve
shark fin soup Shark fin soup is a traditional soup or stewed dish served in parts of China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. The shark fins provide texture, while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients. It is commonly served at special occasions such as ...
, a traditional Chinese delicacy, at wedding banquets. Animal rights groups protested in June 2005, citing the declining shark population in global waters and the cruel methods sometimes used of cutting the fin and discarding the live sharks back into the water. At first, Disney removed shark fin soup from its menu but said that it would still offer the soup if their clients insisted on having it served at their wedding. They said they would distribute leaflets about shark conservation to discourage the choice. However, after constant and continuous pressure from environmental groups and schoolchildren, shareholders concerned about the company's image, Disney announced on 24 June 2005 that shark fin soup will not be served at all, because, according to their press release, "After careful consideration and a thorough review process, we were not able to identify an environmentally sustainable fishing source, leaving us no alternative except to remove shark's fin soup from our wedding banquet menu." Health inspectors were asked to remove their caps and badges when coming to inspect the facility after several reports of food poisoning. Although two of the officers did so, the department took offence.


Opening Day

On 12 September 2005, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and its theme park, Hong Kong Disneyland, officially grand
opening ceremonies An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.
by the chief executive officer of
the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner (born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film s ...
, President and chief operating officer of
the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
Bob Iger Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and C ...
, Vice-President of the People's Republic of China Zeng Qinghong, and
Chief Executive of Hong Kong The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and head of the Government of Hong Kong. The position was created to replace the office of governor of ...
Donald Tsang Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen (; born 7 October 1944) is a former Hong Kong civil servant who served as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012. Tsang joined the colonial civil service as an Executive Officer in 1967, occupyin ...
at 13:00 HKT. The park was projected to attract five to six million visitors in its opening year, mostly locals, tourists from
mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the China, People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming Island, Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territorie ...
and nearby Asian countries. Initially, the resort gained success during rehearsal stages; however, not long after the park officially opened, many locals criticised the size of the park and the attractiveness of the rides and attractions in the park. From 23–29 July 2006, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort hosted the 2006 Little League Baseball Asia-Pacific Region Tournament. The resort constructed two seaview stadiums and baseball pitches between its Disney Resort hotels for the tournament. The event attracted approximately 2,000 fans. To boost park attendance, Hong Kong Disneyland introduced Summer Passes in summer 2006 to attract more visitors. Each Summer passholder could visit the park without limits throughout summer 2006 for HK$450. The park also provided exclusive treats for the Summer Passholder in the summer holidays to encourage them to visit the park several times, such as extending the operating hours of Fantasyland for passholders and releasing limited pins for passholders to purchase. Apart from these, the park offered free tickets to the friends and family members of the cast members. Each cast member can invite a limited number of friends and family members to visit Disneyland every day during the summer. Although the park had sold more than 60,000 Summer Passes throughout summer 2006, the park missed its target of 5.6 million in its first year, with only about 5.2 million guests entering the park during the first year of operation. The government overestimated Hong Kong Disneyland's attendance numbers during the Asian Financial Crisis. Rumour suggested that the relatively low-key celebration of the 1st Anniversary was due to the disappointing performance of the theme park. The Hong Kong park's attendance continued to be disappointing according to the Walt Disney Company's third-quarter performance released in August 2007. In addition, the ''
South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...
'' estimated the attendance of Hong Kong Disneyland will reach 4 million in its second year, far lower than its first year of operation, citing unnamed sources. The SCMP's sources are still unknown, and some of its speculation is a bit overly optimistic. In December 2007, the Disney park admitted that the park had only attracted 4 million visitors in the year 2006–2007, which had fallen 23 percent when compared to the first year attendance. A new shopping district called Downtown Disney, as well as the third hotel, are taken into discussions. For long-term construction, with the reclaimed land reserved for the Phase Two Extension and the Disneyland park being blocked by the Park Promenade, a pedestrian walkway which links the Disneyland Resort station, Disneyland park, Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, and Disneyland Resort Pier. It is expected that a second
Disney theme park Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...
will be built on that site. A Phase Three Extension is also being considered by the Walt Disney Company and the Hong Kong Government. On 10 January 2012, '' The Standard'' reported that Hong Kong Disneyland plans to build 4 more hotels. Disneyland's proposal includes building one large hotel and three smaller vacation-style hotels to be connected by a mini-tram system. In June 2012, the
Hong Kong Economic Times The ''Hong Kong Economic Times'' (abbreviated as the ''HKET'') is a financial daily newspaper in Hong Kong. It was founded by Lawrence S P Fung (), (chairman), Perry Mak (managing director), Arthur Shek Kang-chuen ()(executive director) and o ...
reports that the Government of Hong Kong is hoping to start discussion with Hong Kong Disneyland about building a second Disney theme park for the resort. On 6 January 2015, the third hotel broke ground. It was known as
Disney Explorers Lodge The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built and owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited, a joint venture of the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the no ...
, financed jointly by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
(HK$1.7 billion),
Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...
(HK$1.7 billion) and Hong Kong Disneyland (HK$600 million) itself, the hotel opened on 30 April 2017 and has 250 rooms. Later that month, the Hong Kong government announced it would talk with Disney about building a second park as part of Phase II of the resort. It is rumored that Phase II will also include the construction of more hotels. On 1 February, it was reported the second park was hoped to be completed by 2020. In February 2016, Disney announced that the resort reported its first loss in four years, losing , and falling 9.3% in annual attendance, to 6.8 million visitors. Analysts attributed this to fewer mainland Chinese tourists visit, hurt by a combination of China's slowdown, political unrest, and a weak yuan relative to the Hong Kong dollar, as well as the upcoming opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort. On 2 May 2017,
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
's proposal to invest HK$5.45 billion alongside the
Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...
was passed by the finance committee of the Legislative Council, after a total of more than 20 hours of debate in the Legislative Council since March. In September 2020, the Hong Kong Government announced that they will not purchase the adjacent expansion site for a second park as Hong Kong Disneyland is unable to commit to using the site in the near future.


The Complex

The complex is partially in
Tsuen Wan District Tsuen Wan District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is located in the New Territories and is served by the Tsuen Wan line of the MTR metro system. Its area is 60,7 km². Its residents, who mostly live in Tsuen Wan Town, en ...
and partially in
Islands District The Islands District is one of the 18 districts of Hong Kong. It is part of the New Territories. It had a population of 170,900 in 2018. Hong Kong consists of a peninsula and 263 islands. The Islands District consists of some twenty large a ...
. It includes: * Hong Kong Disneyland, based on and modeled after the original Disneyland park in California, features 7 themed areas. * Inspiration Lake, an artificial lake for recreational purpose and also serves the source of irrigation for the resort.


Hotels

There are three hotels in the Resort, located on the seashore of the reclaimed land and facing the
South China sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...
, with about 1,750 rooms in total. There is also land reserved for a fourth Disney hotel, which will be located between Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and Disney Explorers Lodge. *
Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel is the second Disney hotel in the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. The theme of the hotel is of a Victorian style, and is located near Disneyland Harbour. The hotel is built on ...
, a 400-room Victorian-era themed hotel inspired by Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and the Parisian Disneyland Hotel. *
Disney's Hollywood Hotel Disney's Hollywood Hotel is one of three hotels at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It officially opened with the resort on Monday, 12 September 2005. It is themed to 1930s Hollywood. The hotel has over 60 ...
, a 600-room
art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
style hotel themed to 1930s Hollywood, features lawns covering resembling the
Hollywood glamour Glamour is the impression of attraction or fascination that a particularly luxurious or elegant appearance creates, an impression which intensifies reality. Typically, a person, event, location, technology, or product such as a piece of clothing ...
. *
Disney Explorers Lodge The Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is a resort built and owned by Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited, a joint venture of the Government of Hong Kong and The Walt Disney Company in Hong Kong on reclaimed land beside Penny's Bay, at the no ...
, a 750-room exploration themed hotel with four themed areas: Polynesian, Asian, South American rainforest and African plains. It is the biggest hotel in the resort and opened on 30 April 2017.


Transport

The Resort has the key advantage of being linked to Hong Kong's public transit system. It is accessible via train from
Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distingui ...
and the city centre. Inside the Resort free shuttle bus service is operated serving hotel guests. Since December 2016, the
Star Ferry The Star Ferry is a passenger ferry service operator and tourist attraction in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island, and Kowloon. The service is operated by the Star Ferry Co ...
offers a daily trip from
Tsim Sha Tsui Tsim Sha Tsui, often abbreviated as TST, is an urban area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsi ...
Star Ferry pier in
Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and ...
to the Disneyland Resort pier, with a journey of about 45 minutes on their newly refurbished "World Star" boat.


Hong Kong International Theme Parks

Hong Kong International Theme Parks, Limited (HKITP) is the joint venture between
Government of Hong Kong The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government, refers to the executive authorities of Hong Kong SAR. It was formed on 1 July 1997 in accordance with the Sino- ...
and
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
in which they respectively own 52% and 48% currently. At the start, the Hong Kong Government held a 57% stake, while The Walt Disney Company had 43%. But after the expansion plans were announced in 2009, when The Walt Disney Company invested HK$3.63 billion (US$465 million), Hong Kong Government's holdings were reduced to 52% while The Walt Disney Company's shares increased to 48%."Disney, Hong Kong govt agree to park expansion"
(30 June 2009) Channel News Asia


Profitability

The resort operated at a loss from the time it opened in 2005 until 2012, when it first turned a profit. It was unprofitable again in 2015, running a HK$148 million loss that year. This increased to a loss of HK$171 million in 2016 and HK$345 million in 2017.


See also

*
Hidden Mickey A Hidden Mickey is a representation of Mickey Mouse that has been inserted subtly into the design of a ride, attraction, or other location in a Disney theme park, Disney properties, animated film, feature-length movie, TV series, or other Disney ...
* Large amusement railways * Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts * Shanghai Disney Resort *
Tourism in Hong Kong The tourism industry has been an important part of the economy of Hong Kong since it shifted to a service sector model in the late 1980s and early 90s. There has been a sharp increase of domestic tourists from Mainland China following the i ...


References


External links

*
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort online newsroom
{{Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks ...
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks ...
Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks ...
Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks ...
Disneyland Resort The Disneyland Resort, commonly known as Disneyland, is an entertainment resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division and is home to two theme parks ...
Amusement parks opened in 2005