The theme park is expected to attract 10 million visitors in its opening year. (Photo : www.insidethemagic.net)
Scheduled to open next spring, the much-anticipated Shanghai Disneyland is expected to fatten Shanghai’s revenues at the cost of further damaging Hong Kong’s already struggling tourism industry. As of present, Disney fans still flock to the Hong Kong park, which opened in 2005.
Shanghai Disneyland's main areas and attractions were unveiled by Disney chairman and CEO Robert Iger during an event in Shanghai on July 15, Wednesday.
The theme park will be the first Disney park located in the Chinese mainland, and the second in China. Costing around $5.5 billion, Shanghai Disneyland will include six themed areas, such as Tomorrowland and the famous Mickey Avenue. Interactive areas will also be included, where visitors can mingle with popular characters from the Marvel and Star Wars movie franchises.
Shanghai Disneyland, along with two hotels--the Shanghai Disney Hotel and the Toy Story Hotel--will be part of the Shanghai Disney Resort.
Disney's largest foreign investment, the theme park is a gamble that will be significantly affected by the growth of the Chinese middle-class consumers.
Experts such as Lam Chi-ting, secretary-general of the Federation of Hong Kong Trade Unions in Tourism, believe that the opening of the Disney resort in Shanghai will negatively impact the number of high-spending tourists traveling to Hong Kong, especially those who are traveling from the Yangtze River Delta region.
For Hong Kong's struggling tourism industry, according to Lam, these visitors from the Yangtze River Delta are a huge revenue source, as they have shown to have more buying power than most tourists traveling under the "one trip per week" rule. On the other hand, tourists from other parts of the world are deterred by mainland visitors, to whom they show a hostile attitude.
The opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort might be the final nail to the coffin, further reducing Hong Kong's appeal to tourists. The theme park is expected to attract 10 million visitors in its opening year.
