A Disneyland spokesman said whatever the result of the first year, Hong Kong Disneyland is in the city for the long term. And it's part of the Hong Kong community now.

The projection comes as the theme park gears up for the final two months of its first year of operation with hopes of an attendance boost from tourists and a strong summer showing.

An operations source said average daily attendance so far this summer was between 13,000 and 14,000, half of the park's capacity of 28,000.

A pass offering unlimited visits during the summer break was launched on July 1st and sales have been higher than expected.

The spokesman said they have taken into account the local seasonality and travel patterns of each region and are working to adapt their summer marketing and sales strategies to continue to build up attendance.

The launch of three new attractions at Disneyland about two weeks ago does not change its licensed capacity, which is partly based on washroom and toilet facilities.

Finance sources said before the theme park opened last September, Hong Kong Disneyland had forecast first-year attendance of 6.4 million. This is a daily average of about 18,000. But 5.6 million is the present forecast.

Liang Tao, CRI News, Hong Kong