Ticket prices for the popular Ngong Ping cable car ride on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island will jump up by about 15 per cent starting on November 1, in the first increase in five years.
Managing company Ngong Ping 360 announced the adjustment on Friday, but added city residents could purchase tickets at their original price until the end of this year.
Tickets for an adult round trip in a standard cabin will shoot up from HK$235 (US$30) to HK$270, while journeys in a crystal cabin – with see-through floors- will increase from HK$315 to HK$350.
A standard-cabin ticket for a child will rise from HK$110 to HK$135, and from HK$190 to HK$215 for crystal.
The cost of tickets for the elderly, as well as annual passes, will remain unchanged.
The price of a special package of one crystal-cabin trip plus a standard-cabin one will be upped from HK$360 to HK$395.
The company said the average fare increase was 14.7 per cent but new discounts would be put in place for those planning to visit the tourist attraction.
Residents will be offered a complimentary round-trip ride in a standard cabin on their birthday up until December 31 next year, as well as a 20 per cent discount when purchasing up to three tickets for the same trip.
On Senior Citizens’ Day on November 19, those aged 60 or above can buy one round-trip standard-cabin ticket at a discounted rate of HK$50 from HK$155.
The Ngong Ping cable car connects Tung Chung and Ngong Ping on Lantau with access to attractions such as Po Lin Monastery and Tai O Fishing Village.
The 25-minute ride offers panoramic views of Hong Kong International Airport, Lantau mountains, and the Big Buddha.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, another major attraction on Lantau, has also announced a 15.6 per cent price increase in certain types of tickets and introduced a new, more expensive day pass tier during its most popular periods such as the Christmas season.
In September, the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District art hub increased adult general admission prices by 20 per cent to HK$60. Fees of the art hub’s M+ museum remain the same.
Hong Kong’s tourism has gradually recovered since the government lifted Covid-19-related travel restrictions at the beginning of this year.
In the first nine months of this year, 23.32 million tourists visited the city compared with 249,699 tourists in the same period last year.
Tourism lawmaker Perry Yiu Pak-leung said the Ngong Ping 360 cable car price increase was moderate since the last round was in 2018 and it renovated its facilities during the pandemic.
“The costs to operate a cable car system of this calibre are very high. It is more important to let visitors feel that this is of good value,” Yiu said.
However, he added that from an industry point of view, he hoped prices were lower.
Yiu said he was concerned about the overall high costs of tourist attractions in Hong Kong compared with other destinations, but noted competitiveness was not related to low prices only.
“The crucial thing to highlight is the quality, be it the facilities of the attractions or the itinerary,” he said. “Travelling is about experience these days.”
Yiu said he was in favour of marketing the cities of the Greater Bay Area to tourists as a whole especially when different destinations could complement each other.
“If we market the Greater Bay Area as a package, where tourists can visit multiple destinations in one trip, it will seem less expensive,” he added.
Authorities in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong jointly launched a new promotional drive recently, in a bid to boost tourism in the bay area among overseas visitors. The latest initiative began in Bangkok yesterday with a 30-strong delegation meeting more than 100 trade partners, media professionals and influencers.