Shanghai tourists continue to display a wait-and-see attitude towards maiden tours to Hong Kong's Disneyland, despite it being only one month before the opening of the amusement park, today's Shanghai Morning Post reported.

Last week, Shanghai China International Travel Service Co Ltd, Shanghai China Travel Service and Shanghai China Youth Travel Service Tour Corporation (Shanghai CYTS Tour Corporation) offered cheap prices of between 2,080 yuan and 2,580 yuan (US$256-US$318) for their initial tours to the Disneyland. However, many people have enquired about rather than signed-up for the tours.

As the amusement park will open on September 12, when most schools start their new terms, children are not available for the tour, explained Bai Yun, manager with the Hong Kong and Macau department of Shanghai China Travel Service, adding that most tourists are rational and reluctant to crowd to the park at the time of its opening.

"Our initial tour has capacity for 60 tourists, but to date just under half the seats have been filled, not as many as expected," said Yu Yitao, director with the Hong Kong and Macau department of Shanghai China International Travel Service Co Ltd. He added that many tourists prefer to sign-up for tours at the last minute.

In cooperation with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai CYTS Tour Corporation offers the tour for only 2,080 yuan. Some 70-80 people have signed up so far, accounting for two-thirds of the total number, said Cao Xi from Shanghai CYTS Tour Corporation. Of these, white-collar employees make up a large portion, he pointed out.

The opening of the amusement park and the many exhibitions set for October have driven up demand for hotel accommodation in Hong Kong, with four-star hotels charging 10-15 percent more than in July.

(Shanghai Daily August 12, 2005)