[photopress:hotel_Hong_Kong_Disneyland.jpg,full,alignright]Shanghai is awaiting approval of mainland China’s first Disneyland, and the theme park could be (this is far from definite) built on an island in the Yangtze River
A Shanghai city spokeswoman, who like many Chinese officials refused to give her name, said Shanghai was waiting for approval of the project by the central government. She would not comment further.
Walt Disney, which has set up office in Shanghai, has repeatedly emphasized that for now it is focusing on developing its theme park in Hong Kong, which opened in 2005 and, in truth, is not doing nearly as well as Disney would wish..
Disney Asia-Pacific spokeswoman Alannah Goss said, ‘China is a priority for the entire company. We have a continuing dialogue about a variety of Disney initiatives, including television, motion pictures and consumer products, of which theme parks are only a part.’
Perhaps. Possibly. Maybe.
The state-run magazine Oriental Outlook said in this week’s online edition residents have been moved off farmland in Chuansha, a part of Shanghai’s Pudong district near the city’s main international airport, to make way for a 6-square-kilometer tract along the city’s airport expressway.
The magazine quoted local economic committee official Qian Weizhong as saying, ‘Once we have central government approval and a concrete plan and Shanghai Disneyland can begin construction right away.’
The park would be built after 2010.
But will it make money? Probably not at the prices Disney likes to charge. Hong Kong Disneyland charges between US$37-$45 a ticket. So the people instead go to Ocean Park which is enjoying the highest attendance in its 30-year history. And you do not have to take the ferry to get there.
It’s about to get worse for HK Disneyland because nearly half of all visitors come from the mainland. Open a Disneyland on the mainland and you have lost a lot of visitors.
Source: The China Post
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