Hong Kong Disneyland said Tuesday it would offer ticket discounts for one month to local residents to thank them for their support.

The theme park denied the move was prompted by low attendance at the park, which opened two months ago.

"The discount has absolutely no relation to attendance numbers," park spokeswoman Esther Wong said.

"We are thanking locals for giving us good support since we opened."

Starting Tuesday, prices for Hong Kong residents are slashed by HK$50 (US$6.40) per ticket — a reduction of about 20 percent.

A peak time ticket for an adult will cost HK$300 instead of HK$350.

The discount, given to those with a Hong Kong ID card, will last until Dec. 8.

Although Hong Kong Disneyland said the discount was unrelated to attendance, the park has repeatedly refused to disclose how many people have been visiting.

Many local media reports have said that attendance has been disappointing.

On Tuesday, Wong said the park has no plans to disclose attendance numbers as they constituted confidential commercial information.

This has angered some lawmakers who argue that the public should be privy to the information since the Hong Kong government is the biggest investor in the park.

The government paid US$2.4 billion for the park’s construction, while Disney paid over US$314 million, according to official figures.

(China Daily/Agencies November 10, 2005)