Distinguishing Hong Kong Disneyl & from Tokyo Disneyland

Disneyland, a theme park meant for entertainment, is a name that is synonymous with fun, fantasy, and adventure. The original Disneyland park is located in Anaheim, California, USA and opened in 1955. Due to its immense popularity among children and adults alike, international Disneyland parks were opened in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Although the underlying theme and concept of both Tokyo and Hong Kong Disneyland parks are the same, there are some differences between the two.

Key Takeaways

• Tokyo Disneyland, the first international Disneyland park, opened in 1983 and is owned by The Oriental Land Company.
• Hong Kong Disneyland, the smallest of all Disneyland parks at 55 acres, opened in 2005 and follows Feng Shui rules to incorporate Chinese culture, traditions, and customs.
• While Tokyo Disneyland has been a huge hit since its opening, Hong Kong Disneyland has struggled to attract visitors in its first five years of existence.

Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland was the first international Disneyland theme park, as it was located outside the United States. It opened in 1983 on a much larger area (115 acres) than the original park in California. This park was constructed by the company set up by Walt Disney in the same manner as the one in California. However, it is owned by The Oriental Land Company, which has the franchise to run the park. Disneyland Tokyo has not one but seven theme parks: World Bazaar, Tomorrowland, Westernland, Fantasyland, Adventureland, Critter Country, and Mickey’s Toontown. The park is a very popular destination for tourists from all parts of the world and receives more than 12 million guests in a year.

Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland is the latest Disneyland in the world, having opened as late as 2005. From the very beginning, Disney was aware of cultural differences between the American model and the Chinese theme park, so they made all attempts to incorporate Chinese culture, traditions, and customs to attract Chinese mainland tourists. The structure follows Feng Shui rules, but despite all honest intentions, the park has not been able to become a major hit among tourists. Hong Kong Disneyland has the lowest capacity among all Disneyland parks in terms of tourists, and so far, it has managed to receive around 25 million guests in its first five years of existence. Hong Kong Disneyland is also the smallest of all Disneyland parks, measuring around 55 acres. Construction and expansion are underway, and once completed, the number of tourists is expected to increase to around 8 million per year.

Hong Kong Disneyland vs Tokyo Disneyland

• While Tokyo Disneyland has a haunted mansion just like the original Disneyland, it is missing from Hong Kong Disneyland due to differences in Chinese culture about the afterlife.
• Tokyo Disneyland is spread over an area of 115 acres, whereas Hong Kong Disneyland is smaller in comparison (55 acres).
• Tokyo Disneyland has been a huge hit ever since it opened in 1983, whereas Hong Kong Disneyland has been in the red for the first five years of its existence (2005).
• Designing of Hong Kong Disneyland was troublesome for Disney, and they had to incorporate many Chinese cultures, traditions, and customs to appease and attract more Chinese tourists, whereas there was no such problem with Tokyo Disneyland.