Hong Kong Disneyland to Adjust Ticketing

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong Disneyland will adjust its admission system after hundreds of ticket holders from mainland China were turned away and tried to storm the park, a Disney executive said Saturday. The problem stemmed from a system in which most tickets sold are valid for six months, but do not guarantee entry on any given day. Hundreds of Chinese New Year holiday-makers who held such tickets, many from the mainland or Taiwan, were barred from the park Wednesday and Thursday because it was already full. Television footage showed crowds rebuffed trying to push through the entrance gate, while others clambered over the iron fence. Hong Kong Disneyland Managing Director Bill Ernest said the park will not scrap flexible-time tickets, which the tourism industry had demanded. But the park may set aside peak days for date-specific ticket holders only, Ernest told a news conference. Turned-away holders of flexible tickets can ask for refunds, he said. "I personally apologize to the people of Hong Kong, as well as the people of mainland China, for the experience," Ernest said. "We are still learning in this market. This is our very first Chinese New Year, frankly." Ernest said visitor numbers during the holidays have been "unprecedented," but declined to provide an attendance figure. Ernest said keeping crowding under control in the park is important for public safety.