Rare visitors will probably be surprised to see that the usual hustle and bustle of ticket-buying has disappeared. Even the rides, the souvenir shops, and the magnificent central castle are sparsely populated. The cheerful, lively atmosphere that should be present in all Disneyland parks is absent in Hong Kong, at least for now.
Disneyland Park in Hong Kong is deserted with tourists.
The reason for this sad and empty state is that Disneyland, like all other entertainment venues in Hong Kong, has been affected by the prolonged protests. Since millions of people took to the streets to protest the extradition bill in June 2019, not only the Hong Kong economy but also the tourism industry has been severely damaged.
The Hong Kong Financial Bureau said the retail and hospitality industries are both suffering huge losses. Hong Kong hotels and motels have lost a huge number of customers, with occupancy rates dropping by 40% to 70%. Meanwhile, Hong Kong International Airport saw a 12.4% drop in passengers in August 2019 compared to the same period last year.
The fairy tale train tracks and carousels that were once crowded are now very deserted.
Disneyland is the place that most clearly reflects the decline of tourists to Hong Kong. A place that should always be crowded and noisy is empty and lonely and boring. All the items here are deserted, people are worried about political and social tensions so they no longer dare to come to Hong Kong to have fun.
Although music still plays everywhere, and when night falls, colorful lights shine brightly on every street, it does not bring a joyful atmosphere to this place. The fun called Halloween always attracts a lot of tourists every year, but now it is also at risk of failure, although Disneyland has advertised many attractive programs.
Hong Kong Disneyland is in crisis as tourist numbers continue to decline.
According to the Hong Kong International Airport authorities, the biggest drop in visitors came from mainland China, Southeast Asia and Taiwan. Of these, Chinese visitors accounted for 76% of tourists to Hong Kong. Instead, many of these visitors now choose to go to Shanghai Disneyland, making the business situation of Hong Kong Disneyland even worse and more difficult.
Not only Disneyland Hong Kong but many large restaurants and hotels here are also in a slump. Some hotels ask employees to take unpaid leave, others even lay off. According to CNN, an estimated 700 restaurant workers have lost their jobs since June 2019.
