Hong Kong’s Ngong Ping 360 (NP360) cable car attraction will be suspending services from January to June 2017 in order to undergo a rope replacement project, raising concern among agents about the attractiveness of Lantau island as a destination.
During the upgrading period, the Ngong Ping Rescue Trail will also be be closed, but the Ngong Ping Village will remain open.
According to NP360 managing director Stella Kwan, a reduction of approximately 500,000 guests is expected during this period as both its Chinese New Year and Easter Holiday peak seasons are affected.
NP360 stated that disruption caused to its business partners will be mitigated with adjustments where possible to minimise impact.
But Gray Line Tours managing director Michael Wu believes business will be severely affected nonetheless. “The suspension may affect the whole Lantau tourism scene as the cable car was the key pulling factor. I forsee about a 30 per cent drop in visitors overall for Lantau, especially for the FIT market,” he said.
Tourbillon Travel, which specialises in the Indonesian market, expects business from the South-east Asian nation to Lantau to drop drastically as well.
“Indonesians visit Lantau because of the cable car so they may not consider to tour the island if it’s out of service. Given their Muslim background, the Po Lin Monastery hardly appeals to them,” said the agency’s managing director Tony Lam.
But NP360’s Kwan is banking on tours to Ngong Ping Village. She said: “To incentivise agents, we will roll out land and sea guided tours for FITs. Three to four departures are tentatively scheduled per day at a promotional price of HK$150 (US$19.30) per person.
“Moreover, we will provide scheduled complimentary round-trip shuttle services for pre-booked tour groups visiting Ngong Ping Village. During the period, guests will also be able to purchase our bus tour package from the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal or take other modes of transport.”
