Image courtesy of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort


new demand for quality family and leisure vacation experiences. The gradual relaxation of leisure travel restrictions, such as the adoption of a multiple-visa policy, has also opened up overseas vacation destinations to mainland Chinese tourists. Opened in 2005, the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is among those which have benefitted from the growing China tourism market and that of greater Asia. “The theme park industry is undoubtedly expanding,


drawing in industry leaders and new brands alike,” Coker continues. “This creates keen but healthy competition for all players. To stay competitive, existing players are bettering their offerings and services with new attractions and business expansions. For example, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has started a HK$3.6 billion expansion which will add over 30 new attractions, play and entertainment offerings in three new themed areas, bringing the total number to more than 100, in the coming five years.” Reflecting on the global economy of the past couple of


recently Disney planned a park in Shanghai. When will this happen? At this time, no-one knows exactly but I believe it will happen in the next 15 years. Many countries throughout Asia continue to explore and analyse and develop everything from small children’s parks and waterparks to major theme parks. We are seeing less passive parks being built like the parks that were built in the 70s and 80s. “Asian consumers want action. China will continue


to be the largest developer of leisure attractions during the next 50 years. (Indeed) during the next 50 years, the greatest number of theme parks will be built in Asia due to the emerging economy and enormous population growth spreading throughout Asia. Eventually it will be the largest region of the world providing leisure attractions.”


Noble Coker, vice-president, park operations, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, “The theme park industry in the Asia, ex-Japan, region is developing quickly. As tourism in Asia continues to grow, the region has experienced a significant number of new additions to the theme park business, as well as drawn in international theme park leaders. This trend is especially pronounced in China, which has seen a mushrooming of theme parks and amusement parks across the country. “China’s rapid economic development has spurred the growth of outbound travel in recent years thus creating


24


years, he continues: “The global economic crisis, which began in late 2008, has had a negative impact on leisure travel in the region with a noticeable decrease in the number of long-haul travellers coming from the Americas and Europe. However, the situation has stabilised in recent months. Generally, tourism in China and to a lesser extent the rest of Asia was spared the worst effects of the economic crisis thanks to the consistent economic growth of China and the burgeoning number of Chinese tourists. At Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, we saw this drop in international guests being compensated by guests from China and Hong Kong.” So, apart from the aforementioned plans for Hong Kong


Disneyland Resort, where does he see the most activity at the moment for new park developments and continued investment in existing facilities? “A few major Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Shanghai,


South Korea and Singapore have vigorous plans to strengthen their appeal to tourists and developing theme parks has been seen as a key feature in such plans. They also recognise the contribution of theme parks to the development of their own cities. “In Hong Kong, theme parks have been a major draw,


complementing the city’s overall appeal to tourists. In addition, they also bring tremendous economic benefits. “In the past fiscal year (ended in September 2009),


Hong Kong Disneyland Resort contributed added value of over HK$4 billion to the Hong Kong economy, which was equivalent to about 0.3% of GDP.” As well as this, of course,


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60