Hong Kong Disneyland Photo:VCG

Hong Kong Disneyland will cancel this year's New Year's Eve countdown party, its website said - another blow to the city's tourism sector, which has been hard hit by months of violence.

"After evaluating the possible late night transportation situation, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort regrets to announce that the 'Disney New Year's Eve Countdown Party!' on December 31 will be cancelled," the official website said. But the website said that countdown activities for hotel guests will still be held.

Hong Kong's tourism sector has been hit hard by months of persistent violence and vandalism, which have turned many tourists away.

According local media reports, the third-quarter tourist arrivals in Hong Kong fell 26 percent year-on-year to 11.9 million. In October, the decrease was more than 40 percent year-on-year. The situation got even worse in the first half of November, with inbound tourists falling more than 50 percent year-on-year.

A travel consultant from China's travel agency Ctrip surnamed Jiang told the Global Times on Wednesday that tourists' interest in Hong Kong has declined. "Not a single client has asked me about a Hong Kong travel package in the past four months even though the travel products are still available on our website." 

Group tours to Hong Kong fell by 90 percent recently, Lam Chi Ting, chairman of The Federation of Hong Kong Trade Unions in Tourism, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"Many travel agencies no longer promote Hong Kong as an ideal destination due to safety concerns, since more than 40 countries and regions have issued travel warnings about Hong Kong. Many tour guides in Kong Hong have had to take unpaid leave. We really hope that the government can take measures to stop the violence and crack down on riots," Lam said.

Apart from Disneyland, many other celebrations for Christmas and the New Year have also been canceled over safety concerns caused by the riots in the city, Liang Haiming, a Hong Kong-based economist, told the Global Times. 

"It is a huge disaster for Hong Kong's travel, hotel, services and catering industries," he said, adding that "only when peace and social order are restored to Hong Kong can it draw tourists back."

The unemployment rate of related sectors such as retail, hotel and catering industries increased to 5 percent in October from 3.9 percent in the second quarter, local media reported.