Theme parks rise to the challenge

Yu Zhimei, an official in the general management department at the Happy Valley park in Beijing, said that to stand out from its rivals, the venue has gone to great lengths to inject a flavor of Beijing and elements of Chinese culture in its projects.

"Culture is the soul of tourism, which Beijing Happy Valley has believed from the very beginning. We have never stopped innovating since 2006, when the venue opened to the public for the first time," she added.

Over the past 15 years, six phases of the park have been completed. Projects focusing on numerous themes have been created, including Chinese cultural relics, car racing, domestic cartoons and the night economy.

"We have created a big stage for Happy Valley by providing 60 to 80 entertainment and cultural shows every day," Yu said. "We also have many themed activities from time to time to attract local visitors back to the park.

"Due to their heavy emphasis on culture, people can enjoy a strong immersive experience by visiting international theme parks such as Disneyland venues and Universal Studios, and we can learn from these venues.

"As the Chinese economy grows rapidly and people increasingly demand more forms of entertainment, the domestic tourism industry will continue to develop, giving us plenty of scope," she said.