Some tourists see a silver lining in protest clouds

NO TIRESOME wait for hugs and kisses from Mickey and Minnie Mouse. No queue at all for Hyperspace Mountain, where thrill-seekers are so scarce that

Star Wars’ Admiral Ackbar speaks to himself in the dark.

Tinker Bell gazes out over rows of empty seats on the train to Hong Kong Disneyland that was far busier before tourists were scared off by anti-government protests shaking this international hub for business and fun.

That’s tough for local business, but great for Disney fans like Yunice Tsui and her daughters, aged 7 and 4, adorable in Minnie headbands.

With an annual pass to the park she’s already toured nine times, Tsui is better placed than most to size up the body-blow to Hong Kong visitor numbers from the often violent demonstrations, now in their fifth month.

“Before June, you’d generally queue for more than 30 minutes for each ride. Since July, we’ve been here about two to three times; every time it’s about a five- to six-minute wait to queue up for a ride. There are certainly less people, I would say 60% less. Kids are very happy because after a ride, they can go queue up for another one.”

The impact of the protests on tourism is verging on catastrophic for Hong Kong, geared up to receive 65 million visitors a year.

Hong Kong received 2.3 million fewer visitors in August compared with a year earlier, largely trips that people from elsewhere in China are no longer making to the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

September visitor numbers, due on October 31, are unlikely to be any better, given recent protest-related violence and chaos.

And the tourists who come anyway are finding bargain-basement hotel rates, two-for-one deals, easy late checkouts and other sweeteners. |

AP PROTESTERS hold Pepe the frog plush toy in Hong Kong, yesterday. Pro-democracy protesters donned cartoon/superheroes masks as they formed a human chain across the semi-autonomous Chinese city, in defiance of a government ban on face coverings. |