China's very own Shangai Disneyland Resort has annnounced that the theme park will be selling tickets this coming March while it is under trial operations.
Before the park is opened to the public, several preparations are done to ensure that every service, infrastructure and assistance are fully-equipped and operational for the public. According to state evalutation specialist Jianmin He in an interview by the 21st Century Business Herald on February 16, the preparations the theme park include infrastructure and interior decorating, facility fine-tuning, recruitment and training of hired staff, working support services, and public relations campaigns. Additional suport facilities such as visitor centers, gathering areas and parking will also be added with assistance from the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration.
In light of the trial operation of the theme park, the Shanghai Disneyland Resort has released the the first batch of travel companies that are authorized to sell tickets for the March trial run. Thirty companies have been included such as Tuniu, Jin Jiang, CGZL, China Comfort Travel and Ctrip. The public can avail group tickets or tour packages from these agencies, but they will not be able to purchase unbundled tickets.
It is expected that the Shanghai Disneyland Resort will welcome 10 million visitors on its first year and increase up to 16 million once the entire park is fully developed. Theme park goers are estimated to spend RMB 600-700 with shopping a great revenue generator for the the theme park. It is also estimated that ticket revenues of the park within its first six months will reach up to RMB 2 billion based on the admission tickets for both weekday and peak day operations.
The theme park is also expected to create a spillover effect in China's culture, arts, entertainment and sports sectors within the next years according to the 13th Five Year Plan on Shanghai Tourism released in January.
Ticket selling for the trial run will begin on March 28. If the trial operation is successful, the Resort is expected to open on June 16, 2016.
