Two girls show Hong Kong Disneyland tickets.File Photo

Hong Kong Disneyland announced yesterday the introduction of a student annual pass amid widespread speculation of poor attendance, which the management denies.

The park management will launch the annual pass to full-time students aged from 12 to 25 from August 28. The students can choose from three types of pass: weekdays (HK$460), weekdays and weekends (HK$930) and any day (HK$1,250).

The park will also introduce youth programs from September. Teachers can get one complimentary ticket at students' rate for every 15 paid tickets.

Besides students, Disneyland may launch offer for senior citizens aged 65 and above.

Hong Kong Disneyland sales and travel trade marketing vice-president Josh D'Amaro said the park had sold 85,000 annual passes over the past year.

He refused to disclose the attendance figure for the second year of operation, but added that the theme park was performing well in the summer.

"We are a lot better today than we were a year ago by all means," he said.

D'Amaro said the park would not be affected by media reports that it was underperforming.

He added that the park had improved its relationship with the travel trade industry, including increasing the commission for agencies.

In a report to the Legislative Council, the theme park released visitor number of 5.2 million in its first year of operation, seven percent short of target attendance of 5.6 million.

In a rare move, the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau issued a statement last Friday, urging the park to review operation and improve performance.

Local media reported last week that Hong Kong Disneyland's parent company Walt Disney would invest several billions of Hong Kong dollars to the theme park for a five-year expansion plan.

The SAR government owns 57 percent of Hong Kong Disneyland, while Walt Disney owns 43 percent.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Frederick Ma yesterday said the Hong Kong Disneyland was a long-term investment and would not yield harvest in a short period.

Chinese University of Hong Kong department of marketing professor Sin Yat-ming said the park had not fully recovered from the poor public image suffered during the first year of operation.

The theme park rival, Ocean Park, is taking progressive steps to lure visitors, including the pandas and launching a HK$5.5 billion renovation plan.

"Disneyland has to take more remedial measures to boost performance," he said.

Sin said the student annual pass might not be attractive as those who purchased the cheapest one might not enter the park on holidays.

"Students will not go to the park on weekdays after schools. I think students should be allowed to visit the park on all days by paying HK$460," he said.

Hong Kong Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung said the park had taken steps to woo visitors.

"At least, they understand more about the needs of the travel trade industry. Communication between the industry and the park has improved," he said.

Hong Kong Inbound Travel Association president Paul Leung said the park must introduce attractions to lure visitors.

Leung said the park had taken steps to facilitate the travel trade industry, and was more eager to entertain agencies.

He, however, said the park had overestimated the response of mainland tourists.

"Not many mainland tourists are attracted to the park. The contribution of mainland visitors is not that big," he added.

(HK Edition 08/21/2007 page6)