From midsummer to dog days is not the most comfortable season in Hong Kong, but for Hong Kong Disneyland, this is a great time to attract tourists.
is located in the Disneyland Resort in Zhuhaowan, northeast of Lantau Island, . It is completely different from the "Central Hong Kong" with high-rise buildings and a hurry. Here is not only a lifestyle where many Hong Kong people choose to spend their leisure time, but also a time when most families enjoy their parent-child time in full swing.
Hong Kong Disneyland Entrance, if you look up and look carefully, you will find such a line of words "Here you will leave the reality today and enter a world of yesterday, tomorrow and dreams" , this is a sentence from Walt Disney himself in 1955.
For Hong Kong Disneyland , who is already thirteen years old, where is its tomorrow and dream?
Hong Kong lost its charm, or Disney lost its magic?
The latest data of the Hong Kong Tourism Development Council is undoubtedly exciting. From January to May this year, the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong increased by 9.6% compared with the same period last year, of which the mainland market contributed the most, with a year-on-year increase of 12.7% to 20.05 million.
In fact, Hong Kong's tourism industry has gradually recovered since last year. In 2017, the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong reached 58.472 million, a year-on-year increase of 3.2%, reversing the decline in the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong in 2016. Among them, the number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong was 44.4453 million, a year-on-year increase of 3.9%.
However, for Hong Kong Disneyland, it may take some time to get out of the "haze".
According to the financial data of 2017 (as of September 30, 2017) released by Hong Kong Disneyland, although the number of visitors to the park has stopped falling and rebounded in the past year, the number of tourists from the mainland is still decreasing.
If the timeline is pulled longer, the situation seems to be more pessimistic.
Mainland tourists peaked at 3.6 million in 2014. This year, Hong Kong Disneyland's various operating indicators also set new highs for five consecutive years, of which 7.5 million visitors, with tourists from mainland China accounting for 48% - and then it has declined all the way. lost more than 40% of mainland consumers in 2017 at its peak.
This is of course related to the overall decline of Hong Kong's tourism industry since 2015. According to statistics released by the Hong Kong Tourism Network, the number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong in 2014 was 47.24 million, a year-on-year increase of 16.7% from the previous year's 40.74 million. However, in the following 2015 and 2016, the number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong continued to decrease. As more and more destinations relax visa requirements, mainland Chinese consumers have increased their choice of outbound travel, and Hong Kong's attractiveness has weakened.
Lin Huanjie, director of China Theme Park Research Institute, also analyzed to New Travel (LvJieMedia) that as China's internationalization increases, it has direct contact channels with many countries and regions. The role of Hong Kong as a destination for outbound tourism and a springboard for transit is weakening, and the city's attractiveness has declined, which will definitely have an impact on Hong Kong Disneyland.
But even after the overall data of Hong Kong's tourism industry rebounded last year, Hong Kong Disneyland seemed to have lost its magic to mainland tourists.
Judging from the data in the past three years, the tourist structure of Hong Kong Disneyland has actually undergone tremendous changes. Previously, the proportion of local and international tourists has been relatively stable, but after the sharp decrease in mainland tourists in 2015, Hong Kong's local tourists have surpassed mainland tourists. This gap further widened in 2017, and international tourists have also increased accordingly.
Faced with the current customer source structure, Dong Peiquan, tourism sales director of , Hong Kong Disney Resort, said that he would not deliberately emphasize the growth of a certain market, but hoped that each part would increase the number of visitors to the park.
However, some industry insiders who have maintained a long-term observation of the industry pointed out to New Travel (LvJieMedia) that the decline in the attractiveness of Hong Kong's cities and the changes in the source structure of all mean that Hong Kong Disneyland will enter a passive adjustment stage, which is also a relatively confused period. In the foreseeable period of , it will be more difficult for Hong Kong Disney to make a great improvement in the number of visitors to the park.
Localized Disney or international Disney?
What is gratifying is that the favorability of Hong Kong locals towards Disney seems to be increasing.
The New York Times once wrote an article to analyze that this may be because Hong Kong leaders are already uneasy about Shanghai's rising capital as the financial capital, and they do not want Hong Kong Disneyland to appear inferior.
The newspaper quoted the answer from Disney CEO Robert A. Iger in a conference call on November 10, 2016, when he told analysts that "The pride of Hong Kong locals in this park seems to be increasing, and I feel that their competitive spirit has been somehow inspired."
On the other hand, this may also be related to the poor performance of local rival Hong Kong Ocean Park in recent years. The theme park, which has long been regarded as a symbol of Hong Kong's local park, has seen a decline in the number of visitors to the park since 2014, and fell by 3% last year.
▲Hong Kong Ocean Park▲
This gives Disney a chance to win more local tourists. According to Ren Jiajia, the head of Hong Kong Disneyland's public relations, the park has been adopting various channels for customer expansion, such as increasing its investment in MICE business, holding Mayday concerts, and planning park activities such as "Disney Run".
However, Hong Kong's population is less than 7.35 million (statistics in 2016), and local tourists don't have much room for imagination.
Another exciting data is the growth of international tourists, with Hong Kong Disneyland hitting a new high of 1.55 million visitors over the past year. This is also a place that makes Hong Kong Disneyland quite proud - An international Disneyland .
is different from Shanghai Disneyland that clearly emphasizes the need to be "original Disney with unique Chinese style". Hong Kong Disneyland does not want to seem to have obvious "favoritism" towards a certain type of tourist group, but the balance maintained by this effort still seems a bit embarrassing at some moments.
▲ Large-scale tent stage performance with the theme of "The Story of the Sea" ▲
In the latest large-scale tent stage performance with the theme of the movie "The Story of the Sea", in addition to the Mandarin at the beginning and end, the main characters' dialogues are mixed in English and Cantonese. For mainland tourists or international tourists who do not have a Cantonese foundation, if they are not familiar with the plot itself, it is really difficult to understand the dialogues of the characters on the stage.
Of course, these differences and slight discomforts are quietly hidden in the perfect world that Disney strives to create - there will never be garbage on the streets of the United States, the toilets will always be clean, and the music of joy will always be heard in the ears, and even mosquitoes will not be seen in this humid, hot and vegetated park.
However, with the expansion of Tokyo Disneyland, international tourists also need a reason to choose Hong Kong instead of Tokyo.
According to the Theme Entertainment Association's release of the Theme Park Report and Museum Report in the past decade, Tokyo Disneyland's popularity has always ranked first in the Asia-Pacific region. Today, Asia's first Disneyland is also seeking change.
Japan Oriental Park, which is responsible for operating Tokyo Disneyland, announced on the 14th of last month that it will invest 250 billion yen (about 14.5 billion yuan) to expand Tokyo Disney Ocean Park, build new theme parks of Frozen, Rapunzel and Peter Pan, as well as a theme hotel with 475 rooms.
This is also the largest expansion project since the opening of Tokyo Disneyland. It has a development area of about 140,000 square meters and is expected to be officially opened in 2022.
Although the parent company Walt Disney will somewhat consider regional equilibrium and adjust the projects of the three parks in Asia, Hong Kong Disneyland also needs to come up with a more exciting method than expanding the park and adding new projects, because the "arms war" obviously does not have any first-mover advantage for the world's smallest Disneyland.
Lin Huanjie believes that Japan's attraction is still very different from Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a shopping paradise, while Japan is actually a destination country for tourism, and the entire country is a tourist attraction. "Of course, from the perspective of travel experience and service quality, Tokyo Disney is also second to none. The Japanese pay attention to etiquette and politeness, coupled with Disney's system, I think Tokyo Disney should be at the forefront in the quality of service and image creation."
Shanghai Disney is just the beginning of the challenge
Another indisputable fact is that for this Disneyland, which has been open for thirteen years and is only one-third of Shanghai Disneyland, ensuring stable growth is still important, and the challenges brought by Shanghai Disneyland are likely to be just the beginning.
At the media meeting, Shanghai Disney's problem was thrown out again. Dong Peiquan joked: "In the past, reporters would ask this question every time. If not today, I think this might not be a media communication meeting."
In Dong Peiquan's view, the impact of Shanghai Disney was expected, and even the first year's impact was smaller than expected. In the second year, Hong Kong Disneyland had already seen growth in the East China region.
"We think the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, because it can attract the national focus on Disney for a period of time. In the past, there may not be so many people pay attention to it. Even if Hong Kong Disneyland has a history of 13 years, there may not be so much focus. In addition, when tourists have been to Shanghai Disneyland, if they have a high evaluation of all aspects of services, they may also consider going to Hong Kong Disneyland again. The same goes for the same. Although it cannot be raised to such a high level of customer sources, because after all, they are two different operating companies, but they will definitely have a role in brand effect."
The success since the opening of Shanghai Disneyland is encouraging, and it also makes local developers realize that investing in creating world-class theme entertainment projects will inevitably receive good feedback from the market.
At the other end of , the number of tourists to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom of Zhuhai Hengqin maintained a steady growth, with a growth rate of 15% in 2017. This achievement is already very outstanding considering the adverse conditions of humid and rainy summers in the past year.
Although there is no strong IP matrix as strong as Disney, Chimelong Group , which is deeply involved in the South China market, is obviously more versatile about the psychology of Chinese consumers. Mia, who lives in Panyu, Guangzhou, means that the ticket to Chimelong Water Park is less than 100 yuan. What’s more important is that it is close to it and is convenient to go back and forth. "Many families with children around me have applied for annual cards, and they can take their children to play on weekends."
In addition, OCT and Huaqiang Fante are also growing into strong competitors. The latter strategy of is similar to Disney - developing a new theme park and integrating it into its own IP brand. The most well-known of is the cartoon image of Xiong Dai and Xiong Er in "Bears in the Haunt". Although it is still impossible to compare with Disney's classic IP images such as Mickey Mouse, Buss Lightyear, and Captain America, for the new generation of Chinese children, the influence of domestic animation images cannot be underestimated.
According to the "2017 Theme Park Report and Museum Report", China will become the world's largest theme entertainment market in 2020, and Western theme park companies are also rushing into the Chinese market, betting that the growing middle class will spend more money to entertain and travel.
, which is expected to open in 2020, has decided to expand its investment plan, doubled its investment to US$6.5 billion, exceeding Shanghai Disney's US$5.5 billion. In addition, according to media reports, Chinese elements in Universal Studios in Beijing will account for 35%.
Another major international theme park giant, Liuqi Entertainment Group, chose to join forces with Shanshui Wenyuan Group, and recently announced that it will add another brand new children's playground to Nanjing Liuqi Park, and form the Nanjing Liuqi Park Group with the other three previous parks. Public reports show that Liuqi Group will build a total of 11 theme parks in China, forming three major theme park groups, Zhejiang, Chongqing and Nanjing.
has less time and space left for Hong Kong Disneyland.
. The upcoming Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Railway and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge are seen as another important opportunity to connect Hong Kong and the mainland market.
In the view of Dong Peiquan, tourism sales director of Hong Kong Disney Resort, the high-speed rail brings markets outside Guangdong, such as Wuhan, Changsha, Xiamen , Nanning and other key cities along the route. "In the past, when high-speed rail lines were opened to Shenzhen or Guangzhou, we had seen sudden growth. Of course, there has been some stagnation in the middle for six or seven years. We believe that after the last short section - the 48 minutes from Guangzhou South to Hong Kong, there will be another leap forward growth."
. For the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge directly connecting Hong Kong Lantau Island, Macau Peninsula and Guangdong Zhuhai City , Dong Peiquan has more expectations. In addition to shortening the traffic distance, especially improving the accessibility of transportation between western Guangdong and Hong Kong, he believes that the bridge itself can be used as a scenic spot.
"We believe that the bridge itself can also open up some tourists from other provinces, such as some Northeastern guests. He really wants to see the country's great project and has planned a trip to the Pearl River Delta. We hope to cooperate with travel agencies to see how Hong Kong Disneyland is put into this itinerary as one of the links. In this way, we can re-pulse some relatively few group tours in the past few years, or reactivate the entire Pearl River Delta tourism itinerary." It is still unknown how much passenger flow can the two major infrastructures of
bring to Hong Kong Disneyland. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Railway will be officially opened before the end of September, but the high-speed railway will go directly to West Kowloon . For tourists who go to Hong Kong Airport and Disney, they still need a shuttle tool; and the traffic accessibility after the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will also directly affect the tourists' experience.
Lin Huanjie believes that the interconnection of transportation will definitely help Hong Kong Disneyland's tourist rate increase, because it saves tourists' time and cost. However, for Hong Kong Disneyland, whether through marketing methods, such as hosting events during holidays or adding new entertainment projects, is likely not as attractive as the price advantage.
"I think the only thing that can attract tourists is the price advantage. If the tourists calculate, I will take the high-speed train to stay for one or two nights, play Disney, and buy something back. The price is cheaper than traveling to some countries in Vietnam and Thailand. Tourists think the price is good, so they will go."
At the same time, Disney must work harder to perform its worry-free magic.
Since its establishment in Hong Kong, Disney has been accompanied by controversy. The latest round of six-year expansion projects has also made many people question whether they can achieve the expected results. Pascal Martin, a partner of strategy consulting at
OCC, said that Hong Kong Disneyland has not yet achieved convincing results. "The government injects the theme park projects. If these projects can really bring more passenger flow, create new jobs directly or indirectly, and even taxes, if the park makes a profit one day."
In 2009, the world's smallest Disneyland had a round of expansion. The three new theme parks helped Hong Kong Disney attract more tourists and made it profitable from the 2012-2014 fiscal year, but this is also the only three years of profitability.
Pascal Martin believes that Hong Kong Disneyland is still a small park in more than a decade, with no supporting facilities around and the government has not made proper urban planning. Singapore's Universal Studios on Sentosa Island is obviously going to do better, which is located in a comprehensive resort area.
According to the latest report from the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong government is also discussing the issue of reserved land for Disneyland. Considering that the current expansion project still belongs to Disney's first phase project and will be completed in 2023, this means that the reserved second phase project land will not be used for a considerable period of time.
The media reported that the current plan is likely to be to build a Dutch-style garden, or other short-term uses, such as exhibitions, performances, concert venues.But there are also critics pointing out that for Hong Kong, where every inch of land is valuable, why not use such a large area of land to build prefabricated houses to alleviate the crisis of housing tension?
Hong Kong Disneyland needs to find a new cornerstone for its dreams and tomorrow—whether it is a more cost-effective pricing, a unique experience or a clever marketing campaign—to allow it to prosper with Shanghai and Tokyo.
Novels
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It is a bit daunting to come to Hong Kong in midsummer, but Lantau Island seems to be another world.
The impression of Hong Kong with tall buildings, cramped houses and rushing steps completely disappeared here. The three Disney hotels all face the sea and face the paradise, but through the greenway and the dense jungle, the excitement in the paradise seemed to be completely left in that fantasy world full of magic and beauty.
Although Disney does not focus on "vacation and leisure", it has indeed created a quiet atmosphere in Hong Kong Disney Resort to slow down, experience the current life and feel the natural environment.
Just as the sunlight showed its face, the heat gradually rose from the dense jungle, and walked along the greenway outside the park. After a short while, you can see neatly equipped cyclists passing by. For Hong Kong locals, Lantau Island is not only a tourist attraction, but also a leisure lifestyle.
If you walk along the coast, you will encounter more tourists with various shooting tools. The sea here does not have long beaches, and the reefs along the coast give people a seriousness of not entering the world. The sea water is clean and jealous, and it makes people want to explore more good places on Lantau Island.
Hong Kong Disneyland has always been "criticized" that the park is too small and the amusement projects are too outdated. One-day tours are a bit rushed, and staying for a few more days seems wasteful. However, the natural suburban scenery of Lantau Island can be seen here, including the Phoenix Mountain Sun Viewing, the fishing village town in Meiwo, etc. If it can be connected, it may provide another way to open Disney.
As for how much transportation solutions can be optimized, Hong Kong Disneyland does not seem to have much to do, which depends more on government efforts. However, the current entry and exit buses are not a good experience for many people, especially when they unfortunately passed by Huanggang Port, they could almost hear tourists' complaints when they got on and off or changed their cars several times. Intertwined with language differences and communication attitudes, the sensitive nerve between mainland tourists and Hong Kong natives is easily provoked.
But from the details of the service and the layout of the park, Hong Kong Disneyland is still worthy of praise, which is also its traditional advantage that cannot be ignored. The cast and crew of each theme park are wearing different costumes. In the hot summer in Hong Kong, these long-sleeved trousers and boots are not comfortable at all, but their faces are still full of smiles and their attitudes are still warm and friendly. The details of the layout of the park are also amazing. From various sculpture installations to trash cans and street lights, they are all tailor-made according to the styles of different parks.
Disney is a dream-making place that strives to replace the imperfections of the real world with the perfect world.
In Hong Kong Disneyland, the means used to create a collective activity atmosphere and control the flow of people are also very interesting and subtle.
As you enter the entertainment facilities, the surrounding devices and music continue to strengthen the scene you are about to experience. The tourists' emotions are gradually improved in this process, and yearning is also aroused. The anxiety and impatience of waiting are dispersed in the flowing state of continuous progress. However, the body's constraints remained and were not stretched until the end of the entire recreation project - at this time, what awaits you at the exit is a store that is exquisitely arranged and beautifully for you to spend money. Consumption is a compensation for this strictly regulated itinerary just now, making people feel that they have regained the initiative and freedom.
In the heat and fatigue, when we finished shopping for one amusement project after another, entered one "movie scene" after another, and took a photo with one "Disney friends" after another, we were already in a trance state, and , the streets of small towns in the United States, , which was open and air-conditioned, was undoubtedly the best place to go. It seems very reasonable and necessary to buy a red and black Mickey Mouse hairpin to integrate into this environment.
Therefore, although Disney is scheming and has a strong commercial flavor - as soon as it enters the park, it is a small American town street full of shops, and after each recreation project is an exported souvenir shop - this "weakness" seems to be relatively simple and beautiful. It creates a place of joy, a beautiful dream that is carefully woven, and makes us willing to pay for goods and food wrapped in gorgeous packaging – albeit at a high price.
In an exchange with Lin Huanjie, director of the China Theme Park Research Institute, mentioned that the price advantage strategy is likely to be the only way out for Hong Kong Disneyland. first attracts tourists with relatively cheap tickets. With Disney's scientific flow control capabilities and strong second-dumping capabilities, the negative impact of the price advantage strategy will not be too obvious.
From Dong Peiquan's story, he also felt more or less the change in Hong Kong Disney's mentality. In addition to cooperating with online and offline travel agencies to launch some preferential ticket + hotel/transportation packages, Dong Peiquan also mentioned the exploration of different pricing for different cities. He gave an example. The price may be twice as different when watching a movie in Jiangmen, Guangdong and a movie in Guangzhou, but the experience is basically similar. If Disney wants to find more mainland customers and sink to second-, third- and fourth-tier cities, the price will be a very important factor.
For more information Welcome to follow New Travel (LvJieMedia)
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