Disneyland lifts ticket prices by up to 17.2pc

Disneyland will increase its ticket prices across the board from tomorrow, the resort said.

The increase will be deferred three months for Hong Kong residents and tourists who book through travel agencies.

The cost of visiting the theme park with an adult one-day ticket will rise HK$51, or 12.8 per cent, from HK$399 to HK$450. A child one-day ticket will also go up 12.3 per cent, from HK$285 to HK$320.

The greatest percentage increase is 17.2 per cent, from HK$499 to HK$585 for an adult's two-day general admission ticket.

"Like any business, we evaluate and adjust our pricing based on a variety of factors," the theme park said.

Vice-president for public affairs Lo Bing-chung said the rise was a result of the park's expansion projects and rising operating costs, such as salaries and food prices.

The tourism trade said they did not welcome the increases but did not think it would have much impact on business.

Different types of one-year passes will rise by varying amounts.

Silver Magic Access will remain unchanged, while the price of the two more expensive ones will go up by 14.5 per cent and 5 per cent for adults, and 14.4 per cent and 5.2 per cent for students and children.

The park will stop selling the lowest-priced pass - Red Magic Access - but holders can use it until its expiry date.

The park would not comment on whether any further increases were likely.

Disney also declined to guarantee that the park would not need an injection of government capital for its expansion.

In the government's annual 2013-14 budget, it says: "In the coming few years, Hong Kong Disneyland will launch a new nighttime parade and put in place a themed area …

"These will be funded by the Disneyland's operating surplus."

Seven years after opening, the theme park earned revenue of HK$4.3 billion, up 18 per cent from a year ago, and made a profit of HK$109 million for the fiscal year ending September 2012.

Lo said tourists constituted 70 per cent of the park's visitors, and 80 per cent of its revenues were from them.

He did not expect the price rises to have a significant impact on visitor numbers.

Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung said tourists would not turn away from Hong Kong because of the increases.

"I hope they can improve their programmes to make the tickets more value-for-money," he said.

The park will open a new attraction, Mystic Point, in May