Disney may expand stake in HKDL

The Walt Disney Company may increase its stake in Hong Kong Disneyland in order to help the park raise falling attendance figures, according to a Bloomberg report. "We do anticipate an additional investment ourselves," said Bill Ernest, HKDL's managing director in an interview. Ernest did not elaborate on what type of investment might be made, but he did say that the company is not currently in talks to open a second Chinese park in Shanghai. "We are fully focused on our Hong Kong park," Ernest said. Disney currently owns a 43-percent stake in the park, with the rest of the park belonging to the Hong Kong government. The park recently reported an attendance drop in its second year of operations — the park saw more than five million guests in its first year, which was below expectations but still higher than the four-plus million guests it saw in its second. However, Ernest remains optimistic about the park's future, saying "We expect to be busier this year than last year."