Chimelong theme park eyes tourism upgrade in new construction

Construction of the third phase of the major theme park Chimelong Tourist Resort officially kicked off in this Guangdong provincial capital's Panyu district on Monday, with an aim to help build the watery town of the Pearl River into a world-class tourist destination in the years to come.

In addition to increasing its new recreational facilities, the third phase of the theme park will add more cultural, high-tech and related projects, hotel rooms, restaurants, parking places and related tourism facilities, Gong Liangqing, president of the Chimelong Group, said at the groundbreaking ceremony.

"When construction of the third phase is completed, Chimelong tourist resort in Guangzhou will have more than 10,000 luxury hotel rooms, playing a big part in promoting the development of the tourism industry in the southern metropolis in the following years," he said.

But Gong did not reveal how much his company would invest to construct the third phase of the theme park.

Huang Ka, executive deputy head of Panyu district, said Chimelong tourist resort, together with Lianhua Mountain, Yuyin Ancestral Garden, Baomo Garden and other scenic spots in the district, will help build Panyu into a world-class tourist destination that will annually attract plenty of tourists from home and abroad.

"Construction of the third phase of Chimelong theme park will help upgrade Panyu's tourism industry to a new level and play an important role in the district's economic construction in the future," Huang said.

The Panyu district government strongly supported the development of the tourism industry, he added.

Found in 1989, Chimelong group is China's leading theme park operator. Its Guangzhou tourist resort alone attracted more than 19 million visits last year, up 18 percent year-on-year.