Hong Kong Disneyland will reopen on June 18 at reduced capacity. The announcement comes after a five-month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The reopening of the theme park suggests that the recovery of the city from the coronavirus pandemic is gaining momentum.
Hong Kong Disneyland will reopen under strict measures. The park will require visitors to wear masks and practice social distancing, according to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. During the initial phase, visitors must reserve tickets through the park’s website.
Theme parks account for about 46% of the operating income of Walt Disney Co. in the year ended September. The company is asking guests to visit Hong Kong Disneyland about a month after its park reopened in Shanghai.
The reopening of Hong Kong will implement early measures to curb Covid-19. Hong Kong, with a population of 7.2 million, reported only four coronavirus deaths, compared with 26 in Singapore. The latter has about 6 million people, according to data compiled by Bloomberg show. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 430,000 people around the world.
Disneyland in Anaheim
Meanwhile, Disney plans to resume operations in Anaheim, California on July 17, after closing mid-March to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The Disney theme park has around 70,000 employees. Like Apple, Disney will execute a phased reopening of its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks will start on July 11. EPCOT and Hollywood Studios will begin operations on July 15.
Disney will carry out measures to ensure that the reopening is safe. Among these are the wearing of masks for staff and guests. They need to don face coverings and submit to temperature screenings before entering the parks.
Disney will also reduce the number of guests that can enter the parks. On the other hand, the resort will not yet hold parades, fireworks and other events that invite crowds.
The resort will promote cashless transactions through contactless payments. There will also be hand-sanitizing stations in the area.
The plan was approved Wednesday morning by the Orange County government. It still needs approval from Orange County’s mayor and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
“The theme parks define Disney for millions of its fans around the world,” Robert Niles, editor of ThemeParkInsider.com, said during an interview on CNN Business. “Returning its parks to operation signals that Disney is coming back to full speed as a company again.”
“Disney is the market leader in not just the theme park business, but in tourism worldwide,” Niles said. “It tells the industry that tourists likely will be back traveling again soon because no one draws tourists like Disney can.”
Risks in reopening
“The risk is that coronavirus cases pop up again after opening. What do you do then?” Miller said. “Additionally, managing cast members health and keeping adequate staffing is a big challenge. If a Disney cast member contracts the virus, do you shut down the entire park? An area they were in? Do you refund tickets? You just don’t want the happiest place on earth to be seen as a dangerous place.”
“I think Chapek is getting a real trial by fire that nobody could have predicted,” Miller added. “However, his familiarity with the parks business is an advantage in dealing with this. He will have a unique perspective on how to operate Disney’s parks as they reopen in this new world.”
