Shanghai Disney Resort marks 10th anniversary with sights set on future
Executives from Walt Disney Co and its Chinese partners have expressed optimism about prospects for Shanghai Disney Resort, unveiling a series of expansion plans as the resort celebrated its 10th anniversary on Tuesday.
"When we opened these gates, we believed we could create something the world had never seen — a place where Disney storytelling met Chinese culture in a way that was genuinely new," said Josh D'Amaro, CEO of Walt Disney Co.
The resort has welcomed more than 100 million guests since its opening in 2016. "As we celebrate the park's first decade and look to its next, what excites me most is that we're just getting started," D'Amaro said.
Thomas Mazloum, chairman of Disney Experiences, said: "Being here in Shanghai has reconfirmed to me the immense opportunities we have in this beautiful country and around the world. You see here what happens when we show up where our fans and consumers are — and when we do so with a lot of innovation and immense respect for local culture."
Mazloum called Shanghai's track record a global blueprint. "I don't believe Shanghai Disney Resort will ever be completed, because we have a lot of imagination left."
The resort is already deep into its next expansion phase. Construction of its ninth themed area — a Spider-Man zone set to deliver the park's first major Marvel-themed attraction — reached a milestone just weeks ago when the last section of its roller coaster track was installed.
Two additional themed hotels are also under development.
Guan Taoping, chair of Shanghai Shendi Group — the Chinese joint venture partner — described the past decade as a journey of deep local roots, cultural exchange and regional development. She pledged to build on the resort's success to transform the broader area into "a world-class multiday tourism destination" and to accelerate what she described as a "culture-tourism-plus" industrial ecosystem.
"Our guests and fans, community and partners, cast and imagineers, and both shareholders have been the authors of the resort's story over the years," said Andrew Bolstein, president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort.
"As we continue the momentum built throughout the past 10 years, defined by continuous expansion and development, relentless innovation and a steadfast commitment to excellence, we are confident that the future of Shanghai Disney Resort is bright."
Tasia Filippatos, president and managing director of Disney Parks International, noted that Shanghai's innovations have generated lessons now being exported across the company's global network. "This park was built with the preferences, taste, and culture of the Chinese people at the forefront," she said, adding that many of those learnings have applications around the globe.
Experts say the resort's influence extends far beyond its gates. Lou Jiajun, a professor at East China Normal University — who has followed the project since 2009 — said the resort had transcended the boundaries of a theme park. "Over 10 years, Shanghai Disney has evolved from a single park to a resort, and then into a benchmark — for destination building, for industry leadership, and for the integration of culture and tourism," Lou said.
Lin Huanjie, president of the Institute for Theme Park Studies in China, credited the resort with rewriting the competitive logic of the industry.
"Disney's arrival made clear that competition should not be about scale and investment, but about building an experience system, creating emotional value and sustaining long-term operational excellence," he said.
Yuan Ding, executive dean of the Shanghai Disney Dream Vocational Campus and director at Shanghai Normal University, pointed to the resort's role as an employment engine. "Quantitatively, it has created hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs for the entire Yangtze River Delta region," he said. "Qualitatively, it has elevated the appeal and professional standing of careers in the tourism and hospitality industry."
zhengzheng@chinadaily.com.cn
