Theme parks rise to the challenge

Rapid expansion

According to a report by the Institute for Theme Parks Studies in China, Shanghai Disneyland topped the list of such venues for competitiveness, followed by Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, Guangdong, and Window of the World in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Happy Valley in Beijing made it into the top 10.

Lin said China's theme park industry has grown fast. In 2019, the institute's report assessed 42 major theme parks, while in 2020, the number grew to 50, and to 64 last year.

"It's a super-complicated task building a theme park－from the original idea, to planning, design, construction and operation－requiring a huge amount of time, energy and capital," Lin added. "Thus, the park has to fit the market. In many respects, domestic venues still have a long way to go."

He suggested that domestic theme parks look more to Chinese traditional culture and "tell good stories" to attract Chinese and foreign visitors.