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Carnival fails to break even in the capital

(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2006-08-29 10:18
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The World Carnival, which bills itself as the globe's biggest mobile amusement park, closed a four-month run in Beijing on Sunday with a loss of 35 million yuan (US$4.4 million), an apparent victim of lack of domestic experience on the part of the equipment operator.

Carnival fails to break even in the capital
A carnival amusement park in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province. The World Carnival, which bills itself as the globe's biggest mobile amusement park, closed a four-month run in Beijing on Sunday with a loss of 35 million yuan (US$4.4 million). [Xinhua]

The event was expected to generate a profit of at least 150 million yuan.

Though WorldCarnival China (Beijing) Inc was involved in the event, Dubai-based Freij Entertainment Co supplied the rides and reportedly took charge of the operations.

"They failed to communicate well with government departments to get the necessary support," said Zhang Shuhua, chairwoman of WorldCarnival China (Beijing) Inc, referring to Freij, which couldn't be reached for comment.

There were also problems directing tourists to the event, Zhang said.

"But we will hold the activity again," she said. "There's a huge potential for profit."

WorldCarnival Ltd arranged its first fun fair in Hong Kong in 2003, drawing 1.9 million visitors and earning HK$120 million (US$15.4 million) before moving on to a successful run in Shanghai.