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Hong Kong Disneyland ( Xinggng Dshnlyun; Cantonese Yale:
heung 1 gong 2 dik 6 si 6 nei 4 lok 6 yun 4) is the first theme
park inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed
by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks, an incorporated company
jointly owned by The Walt Disney Company and the Government of Hong
Kong.
The fifth Disneyland style park, the park is located on reclaimed
land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. After years of negotiations
and construction, the park opened to visitors on September 12, 2005,
considered an auspicious date according to Chinese almanacs for
the opening of a new business. Disney attempted to avoid problems
of cultural backlash by attempting to incorporate Chinese culture,
customs, and traditions when designing and building the resort,
including adherence to the rules of Feng Shui.
The park consists of four themed lands similar to other Disneyland
parks: Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland and Tomorrowland.
There is as yet no Frontierland, although it may be included in
future expansion projects. The theme park's cast members use English
and Chinese, including Cantonese and Mandarin dialects, to communicate
verbally. Guide Maps are printed in both Traditional and Simplified
characters, Japanese, and in English.
The capacity of the park is 34,000 visitors per day, and is the
smallest Disneyland park. It has so far fallen short of meeting
its targeted visitorship figures. The park attracted 5.2 million
visitors in its first year, below its target of 5.6 million. Visitor
numbers fell 20% in the second year to 4 million, which was below
company targets, inciting criticisms from local legislators. However,
the park attendance slightly increased by 8% in the third year,
attracting a total of 4.5 million visitors in 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Since the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005, the theme park
has attracted 14.5 million guests.
The resort currently has 310 acres (1.3 km2), with the actual park
taking approximately 100 acres (0.4 km2). With its small size cited
often to explain its under-performance, the park has announced various
plans for expansion. The classic Disney attraction, "it's a
small world", opened on 28 April 2008. Furthermore, according
to Bill Ernest, the former executive vice president and managing
director of Hong Kong Disneyland, the park is planning to add two
unique theme lands in its future expansion. Over a 15 year expansion
period, the park capacity will increase to handle up to 10 million
visitors annually.
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