USA TODAY International Edition
Miscues mar opening of Hong Kong Disney
Labor leaders, pop stars end up irked
HONG KONG — Hong Kong Disneyland’s debut was marred by public relations debacles that left Mickey Mouse looking like Cinderella’s stepmother in this former British colony.
In the days surrounding the opening this fall of Hong Kong Disneyland, the entertainment giant enraged local pop stars, antagonized labor leaders and earned a rebuke from its own partner in the theme park, the Hong Kong government. Last month, a disgruntled, H red employee climbed atop Space Mountain and threatened to kill himself until he was talked down.
The nasty headlines have taken a toll. After surveying 500 Hong Kong consumers, Asian trade magazine Media found that 24% had a negative view of Hong Kong Disneyland vs. 42% with a positive view.
Disney says that some blipswere inevitable in a project as big as the $ 1.8 billion theme park and that, overall, things have gone well since Disneyland opened Sept. 12. “ For a project of this scale, things happen,” says Hong Kong Disneyland spokeswoman Irene Chan. “ Compared to other openings, thiswas very smooth.”
Planting a U.S. cultural and corporate institution in Chinese soil was bound to be challenging. Last month, the territory’s leader, Chief Executive Donald Tsang, urged Hong Kong residents to be patient with the newcomer: “ We have to remember that Disneyland is a new organization ( in Hong Kong),” Tsang said. “ It may need time to understand the situation of Hong Kong and especially the culture of Hong Kongers and H gure out howto make all its employees happy.”
Remember Euro Disney?
Disney ran into similar troubles when it opened Euro Disney ( later renamed Disneyland Resort Paris) in 1992: French critics decried what they saw as U.S. cultural imperialism; theater director Ariane Mnouchkine famously called it a “ cultural Chernobyl.” Hundreds of Euro Disney workers walked off the job within days, complaining aboutworking conditions.
The 310- acre Hong Kong Disneyland opened to high hopes. The park is intended to polish Hong Kong’s image, draw tourists from mainland China and boost the local economy. The park was built on land reclaimed from the harbor on sparsely developed Lantau Island, near Hong Kong’s 7- year-old airport. It is the smallest of Disney’s H ve locations around the globe.
As Hong Kong struggled to recover from the late ’ 90s Asian H nancial crisis, the government agreed six years ago to invest $ 2.9 billion ( including infrastructure improvements and loans) and take a 57% stake in the project; Disney owns 43%. The government estimates that the construction of the theme park created 30,000 jobs and that the park will draw 5.6 million visitors this year and add $19 billion to the territory’s economic growth over the next four decades.
But in the earlyweeks, Disney’s corporate image has suffered several blows. Consider:
A Disney of H cial refused to let government food inspectors onto the premises until they took o ff t heir c a ps a nd b adges, a pparently so they wouldn’t be noticed by park visitors. That started a public furor.
“ They are trying to make Hong Kong a colony of Disney,” says labor leader and legislator Lee Cheuk- yan. The Hong Kong government declared Disney’s behavior “ unacceptable” but rejected calls by local politicians to bring charges a gainst the compa ny f or o bstructing t he i nspectors. Disney has apologized and vowed that “ this kind of incident would not happen again,” spokeswoman Chan said by e- mail.
Disney of H cials alienated Hong Kong pop stars who h a d agreed to come to Hong Kong D isneyland for no compensation to H lm promotional videos for the park. The stars reported being bossed around, barred from wandering the park and ordered to quiet down their music.
Superstar singer Kelly Chen, previously an enthusiastic Disney supporterwho H lmed a music video in the park, vowed never to return. “ Her Disney dream is broken,” said Mei Wong, a spokeswoman for Chen’s record company, Go East Entertainment. Disney has apologized to Chen and others.
‘ Backward’ management?
Labor activists charged Disney is forcing staff to work 11- and 13- hour days, providing inadequate breaks and rewriting dailywork schedules without notice. “Their management is very backward,” says Elaine Hui of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, which is trying to organize Disneyland workers into a union.
Disney says it respects and listens to its employees, which it calls “cast members.” It doesn’t believe a union is needed: “ We have operated our resort successfully without union representation,” Chan says. “ And we believe it is more effective for us and our cast alike to work and communicate directlywith each other.”
The good news for Disney: The park itself seems to be making a positive impression on visitors, despite modest crowds. “ It was like a wonderland,” says college student Autumn Wong, 20. Disney says 80% of visitors rate their experience as “ good” or “ excellent.”
Tat Mui, 65, a retired draftsman, echoed Chief Executive Tsang’s call for patience: “ Hong Kong people are very picky. Disney is a good place to go. Give it time.”