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1 September 2005
Hong Kong
With only two weeks to go until its grand opening, excitement grows for children at the prospect of a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland this summer holiday, but we can also expect to see a mass exodus from the Mainland as travelers descend on Hong Kong for their own taste of the world-famous theme park.
ACNielsen recently released findings from the latest telephone survey among 1,500 citizens in China’s three key cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou to understand their awareness of the opening of Disneyland Hong Kong, and their intention to visit the theme park.
“Our survey sends a very encouraging message to the tourism industry,” says Glen Murphy, Managing Director of ACNielsen China. “We’ve found Mainland Chinese in the key cities to be enthusiastic about traveling to Hong Kong for Disneyland. This new tourist attraction is definitely going to add an additional touch of glamour to Hong Kong as a travel destination”.
About three quarters of respondents surveyed by ACNielsen had heard of the opening of the theme park and more than half knew it would be open this year (Table 1). At the moment, about a third of all respondents (30%) are either considering a visit or have decided to do so.
Among the three cities, its proximity to Hong Kong makes Guangzhou the most enthusiastic about visiting Disneyland, and they are also among the most aware of the theme park.
A higher percentage of Cantonese (20%) compared to the other cities plan to visit close to the opening or immediately after, with less than 15 percent of Shanghainese and 13 percent of Beijingers likely to plan a trip in the coming two months.
“Better known as a ‘Shopping Mecca’, Hong Kong has remained the top travel destination for Mainland travelers in recent years”, said Glen Murphy. “With the opening of Disneyland in mid-September, people have been given another good reason to travel to Hong Kong. And it is reasonable to expect a continued exodus to Hong Kong by Chinese citizens, given it’s much cheaper to visit Hong Kong Disneyland than to visit the theme park’s counterpart in Japan or the U.S.”
Young People the Most Eager Of All
Not surprisingly, of all age groups, young people showed the greatest interest in Disneyland. 15-34 years old respondents tend to know Hong Kong Disneyland better and have stronger intention to visit. Over 85 percent of youngsters aged 15-24 had heard of the opening of Disneyland, and over a quarter (27%) are either sure they would visit or would be making up their minds soon (Table 2).
Over 80 percent of those aged 25-34 are aware of the opening of Disneyland and close to 40 percent would like to take a trip to it.
High Income Groups Most Likely Early Adopters by Paying a Visit Soon
The high income group has not only shown greatest awareness about the timing of Disneyland’s opening in Hong Kong, but also showed the strongest intention to visit for the first hand experience. Nine in 10 respondents with monthly household incomes of over 5,000 RMB claimed they have heard of the opening of the Disneyland in Hong Kong, more than 40 percent plan to go and 17 percent will visit it sooner rather than later in September and October! Half of respondents with monthly household income less than 2,500 were also aware of the opening, and 20 percent of them expressed interest in paying a visit.
In general, over 70 percent of the respondents planned to visit with family and a third will go with their friends.
Due to open on September 12, coupled with China's ‘Golden Week’ of the National Day holidays, Hong Kong should expect over 16 percent of the travellers in these 3 key cities, mostly from Guangzhou, to visit the Hong Kong Disneyland in September and October. And Hong Kong tourism operators should be prepared after the opening as according to the ACNielsen survey, with another 13 percent indicating their intention to come during the Chinese New Year and 40 percent in 2006, without counting those who would make a return visit! (Table 3)
“The more aware people were of the opening date, the more likely they are to have scheduled their visit already,” added Murphy. “This new tourist destination will also influence those who were previously undecided about a visit to Hong Kong (20%), not to mention those who claimed they wouldn’t even visit Hong Kong at all if it weren’t for Disneyland!”
Yet people’s enthusiasm to visit Hong Kong remains as only a small percentage of travelers in the three cities said they wouldn’t come to Hong Kong in the absence of the Disneyland.
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world’s leading marketing information company. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the company provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and customer attitudes and behavior. Clients rely on ACNielsen’s market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns. For further information visit http://www.acnielsen.com
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