Hong Kong Disneyland has long been billed as the “happiest place on earth”. But its history has been far from fun-filled, with the park operators dogged for years by struggles with tourist numbers and revenue, as well as labour issues.

The mostly rough roller-coaster ride began in 1998, when the idea for a Disney resort and park was proposed. At that point, Tokyo Disneyland was the only one operating in Asia.

Mickey got the green light in 1999 when Hong Kong’s legislature gave funding approval for the construction at Penny’s Bay, Lantau Island. Officials were optimistic that Disneyland’s first 40 years of operation would yield HK$148 billion in net benefits and lead to annual GDP growth of 0.4 of a percentage point.

They also predicted that mainland visitors would account for more than 70 per cent of 1.2 million extra tourists who would visit Hong Kong would come specifically for the theme park. Excited children and parents looked forward to the chance to welcome the magical world of Disney at their doorstep.

But the US company caused drama in 2000 when it was discovered that it had plans to build a rival Disneyland in mainland China. Commentaries at the time accused Disney of “taking the Mickey”, and tourism workers associations and lawmakers urged the company not to push through at risk of draining tourists from Hong Kong.

Disney vowed not to open a mainland China theme park for at least eight years.