Shanghai Disneyland could impact regional tourism

World Today

Shanghai Disneyland could impact regional tourism1l

With a grand opening just hours away, the Shanghai Disney Resort is getting growing anticipation in and outside Shanghai.

CCTV’s Xing Zheming takes a look at how the theme park will impact Shanghai’s regional tourism.

The Shanghai Disney Resort will officially open to visitors in less than a day. And it is sure to become the next must-see tourist destination in Shanghai, following the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Disneyland means a lot to Shanghai, especially considering how much Shanghai has invested in tourism over the past years. And the local government hopes the magical land and the surrounding resorts can help boost the city’s reputation as a world-class tourist destination.

Tourism has become a strong engine of economic growth for Shanghai. Domestic tourists made over 276 million trips to Shanghai in 2015. And over 8 million foreign tourists visited the city in the same year. Together, they spent over 350 billion China Yuan, or 53 billion US dollars.

Disneyland is expected to bring in a lot more tourists to local tourism. This means more business to Shanghai’s restaurants, hotels, entertainment and shopping. It will also have spillover effects to the whole Yangtze River Delta region, according to Professor Wu Bangtao at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Disneyland is also forcing Shanghai’s tourism industry to reform. Professor Wu believes that Shanghai can learn from Disneyland how to promote the integration of technology and tourism and how to incorporate China’s rich cultural background with tourism.


Sam Gennawey discusses theme park competitions in China

To get a more comprehensive idea about the theme park industry, CCTV America’s Jessica Stone spoke to Sam Gennawey, author of The Disneyland Story,  about theme park competition in China.