Hong Kong Disneyland opens – it would have 5.2 million visitors its first year

Disneyland Park, formerly known as Disneyland when it first opened in 1955, is arguably the world’s most famous theme park. Walt Disney came up with the idea for building such a place after having visited many other amusement parks with his daughters. Since its opening, Disneyland has welcomed over 600 million guests.

It was on this day, September 12, 2005, that the Hong Kong Disneyland opened in Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island. The park was constructed very carefully as to not dishonor the Chinese culture, customs, and traditions, and was therefore built according to the rules of Feng Shui. The park has five areas with the themes Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, Tomorrowland, and Toy Story Land.

Although Hong Kong Disneyland didn’t start off poorly, it also didn’t instantly meet its visitor target numbers. It had 5.2 million visitors its first year, slightly short of its target of 5.6 million. Overall, the park has hosted a total of over 25 million guests since its opening in 2005.