Christian Aaen and Janice Li of Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA)
The opening of Shanghai Disney Resort heralds a new era in the development of the Chinese theme park industry. Phase one alone, Shanghai Disneyland theme park, represents a $4.8bn investment, making it the most expensive theme park ever built. The figure is more than $5.5bn when hotels and retail/dining and entertainment (RDE) are included.
Shanghai is positioned in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most populous and affluent regions of China. Shanghai has a population of 24 million people, but there are more than 125 million in the wider YRD region and an even greater number when considering the extensive high-speed rail (HSR) network. It’s a very large market and a great location for Shanghai Disney and other upcoming projects there.
Furthermore, approximately 70 to 80 per cent of the urban population can afford to pay a high ticket price for a world-class theme park. And as China continues to grow at a significant rate by international standards (6 to 7 per cent), the middle-income group is still expanding rapidly. That’s very positive for the cultural tourism, leisure and theme park industries.
TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT Taking that into account, Shanghai Shendi Group originally expected 7 to 8 million visitors in the first year, an estimate that has since increased to 10 to 12 million range. The market scale is on par with Tokyo Disney, where two parks attract more than 30 million visitors annually – (a number that has been built over 30 years). Disney is expecting to achieve that over time with up to three parks in Shanghai.
Shanghai Disney, along with Universal Studios Beijing in 2020, marks the next generation of branded theme parks. These investments have a combined value of more than $8bn in theme parks alone and will have a transformative impact.
The industry will move from smaller, mid-size and regional parks into the destination park category. Right now, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou are the top tier markets for these major theme park destination hubs.
DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH As Universal Studios Beijing reinforces the impact of Shanghai Disney in terms of the next stage of development, double-digit attendance growth is expected in the overall industry.
With the rapid development of the economy and the continued urbanisation of the country (approaching 60 per cent of the population now live in cities and urban areas), there’s further potential for the tourism industry outside the top tier cities.
In terms of other impacts, Shanghai Disney Resort will lead to industry expansion in China. It’s educating the market, and that will have a complementary effect on the industry. It’s providing a high price point and product leadership, which is positive for other parks as well as existing leading domestic operators – though these operators must raise their game if they’re to compete. For international operators such as Merlin (with Legoland Shanghai planned) and others, we’ll see the “tent pole effect” as Disney sets a high price point that other parks price up against. Further impacts will be a rise in standards in service and operations, more new projects and increased interest in the tourism industry.
CREATING A DESTINATION Overall, we think Shanghai Disney will help create an important theme park destination hub in Shanghai and the greater YRD region. Multiple parks enhance the drawing power of all of them, as we’ve seen in Florida and California where there are also multiple parks and operators.
As this happens, parks will do more to become self-contained destination parks. Wanda Group has a big project outside Shanghai in Wuxi, one of the upcoming Wanda Culture Tourism City projects, which will be driven by Chinese storylines, content and culture. It’s a significant investment in a self-contained destination with a major theme park, indoor waterpark, big show, large-scale retail mall and flagship hotels. That’s one of the key trends we’re seeing across the industry – creating a destination. For example, Legoland Parks are adding waterparks and hotels to be more self-contained. Driving overnight visitation is very important and encourages year-round operation.
Helping the trend, domestic tourism is growing rapidly. The Chinese are making more weekend trips to nearby cities by high-speed train. More people have cars and are driving to scenic areas and national parks. The success of Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, near Macau, has shown the Chinese are interested in multi-day stays.
INVESTMENT AND OUTLOOK In terms of return on investment, it’s about the long-term economic impact the destination will have on the tourism and service industry and the creation of a major attractions hub for Shanghai and the YRD.
Shanghai Shendi Group and Shanghai’s government will derive value and monetise their investment through this larger cultural tourism and mixed-use leisure and commercial destination. The International Tourism and Resorts Zone will be positioned as a world-class tourism destination, which includes themed entertainment attractions; hotels/resorts, sightseeing, shopping (including premium factory outlets) and restaurants; meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) industry; mixed-use commercial, educational, creative and industry innovation business parks and other supporting industries.
Shanghai Disney has the highest ticket price in China and will achieve the strongest visitor per capita expenditure. In a few years, Universal Studios Beijing will reinforce “Chapter 2” of the industry’s development towards large-scale destination parks. Leading up to 2020, Shanghai Disney will help generate significant double-digit attendance growth and boost the cultural tourism industry in China.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Promotional feature: IDEATTACK
IDEATTACK’s new project in Hainan, China,
introduces the storytelling elements of a
theme park to the oceanarium concept
Science Museums: Shaping Tomorrow
Brazil’s Museum of Tomorrow uses
constantly updating, real-time digital
collection to communicate with visitors.
We met members of the team
Promotional feature: EAS
This year, the Euro Attractions Show is
coming to the Spanish city of Barcelona
Disney Special: Shanghai Disney: The Best Yet?
As Disney opens its first resort in mainland
China, our special feature examines its
business model, its potential impact and
the modernisation of the Disney castle park
New Openings: Space Inversion
A new contemporary museum district
in the Netherlands – Museumplein
Limburg – features a science centre,
a design museum and an inverted
planetarium. We take a closer look
Promotional feature: Polin
Polin’s patented technologies, extensive R&D and creative flair have made it one of the world’s leading waterpark design and manufacturing companies
Waterparks: Taking the Plunge
Waterpark suppliers constantly develop
their product offers. We dive into the
world of waterpark R&D to find out more
Zoos & Aquariums: The Long Game
UK safari park Longleat is undertaking a
decade-long upgrade that starts by going
back to its roots. As the attraction turns
50, CEO Bob Montgomery explains how
he’s bridging the past and the future
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
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Christian Aaen and Janice Li of Entertainment + Culture Advisors (ECA)
The opening of Shanghai Disney Resort heralds a new era in the development of the Chinese theme park industry. Phase one alone, Shanghai Disneyland theme park, represents a $4.8bn investment, making it the most expensive theme park ever built. The figure is more than $5.5bn when hotels and retail/dining and entertainment (RDE) are included.
Shanghai is positioned in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most populous and affluent regions of China. Shanghai has a population of 24 million people, but there are more than 125 million in the wider YRD region and an even greater number when considering the extensive high-speed rail (HSR) network. It’s a very large market and a great location for Shanghai Disney and other upcoming projects there.
Furthermore, approximately 70 to 80 per cent of the urban population can afford to pay a high ticket price for a world-class theme park. And as China continues to grow at a significant rate by international standards (6 to 7 per cent), the middle-income group is still expanding rapidly. That’s very positive for the cultural tourism, leisure and theme park industries.
TRANSFORMATIVE IMPACT Taking that into account, Shanghai Shendi Group originally expected 7 to 8 million visitors in the first year, an estimate that has since increased to 10 to 12 million range. The market scale is on par with Tokyo Disney, where two parks attract more than 30 million visitors annually – (a number that has been built over 30 years). Disney is expecting to achieve that over time with up to three parks in Shanghai.
Shanghai Disney, along with Universal Studios Beijing in 2020, marks the next generation of branded theme parks. These investments have a combined value of more than $8bn in theme parks alone and will have a transformative impact.
The industry will move from smaller, mid-size and regional parks into the destination park category. Right now, Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou are the top tier markets for these major theme park destination hubs.
DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH As Universal Studios Beijing reinforces the impact of Shanghai Disney in terms of the next stage of development, double-digit attendance growth is expected in the overall industry.
With the rapid development of the economy and the continued urbanisation of the country (approaching 60 per cent of the population now live in cities and urban areas), there’s further potential for the tourism industry outside the top tier cities.
In terms of other impacts, Shanghai Disney Resort will lead to industry expansion in China. It’s educating the market, and that will have a complementary effect on the industry. It’s providing a high price point and product leadership, which is positive for other parks as well as existing leading domestic operators – though these operators must raise their game if they’re to compete. For international operators such as Merlin (with Legoland Shanghai planned) and others, we’ll see the “tent pole effect” as Disney sets a high price point that other parks price up against. Further impacts will be a rise in standards in service and operations, more new projects and increased interest in the tourism industry.
CREATING A DESTINATION Overall, we think Shanghai Disney will help create an important theme park destination hub in Shanghai and the greater YRD region. Multiple parks enhance the drawing power of all of them, as we’ve seen in Florida and California where there are also multiple parks and operators.
As this happens, parks will do more to become self-contained destination parks. Wanda Group has a big project outside Shanghai in Wuxi, one of the upcoming Wanda Culture Tourism City projects, which will be driven by Chinese storylines, content and culture. It’s a significant investment in a self-contained destination with a major theme park, indoor waterpark, big show, large-scale retail mall and flagship hotels. That’s one of the key trends we’re seeing across the industry – creating a destination. For example, Legoland Parks are adding waterparks and hotels to be more self-contained. Driving overnight visitation is very important and encourages year-round operation.
Helping the trend, domestic tourism is growing rapidly. The Chinese are making more weekend trips to nearby cities by high-speed train. More people have cars and are driving to scenic areas and national parks. The success of Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, near Macau, has shown the Chinese are interested in multi-day stays.
INVESTMENT AND OUTLOOK In terms of return on investment, it’s about the long-term economic impact the destination will have on the tourism and service industry and the creation of a major attractions hub for Shanghai and the YRD.
Shanghai Shendi Group and Shanghai’s government will derive value and monetise their investment through this larger cultural tourism and mixed-use leisure and commercial destination. The International Tourism and Resorts Zone will be positioned as a world-class tourism destination, which includes themed entertainment attractions; hotels/resorts, sightseeing, shopping (including premium factory outlets) and restaurants; meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) industry; mixed-use commercial, educational, creative and industry innovation business parks and other supporting industries.
Shanghai Disney has the highest ticket price in China and will achieve the strongest visitor per capita expenditure. In a few years, Universal Studios Beijing will reinforce “Chapter 2” of the industry’s development towards large-scale destination parks. Leading up to 2020, Shanghai Disney will help generate significant double-digit attendance growth and boost the cultural tourism industry in China.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Promotional feature: IDEATTACK
IDEATTACK’s new project in Hainan, China,
introduces the storytelling elements of a
theme park to the oceanarium concept
Science Museums: Shaping Tomorrow
Brazil’s Museum of Tomorrow uses
constantly updating, real-time digital
collection to communicate with visitors.
We met members of the team
Promotional feature: EAS
This year, the Euro Attractions Show is
coming to the Spanish city of Barcelona
Disney Special: Shanghai Disney: The Best Yet?
As Disney opens its first resort in mainland
China, our special feature examines its
business model, its potential impact and
the modernisation of the Disney castle park
New Openings: Space Inversion
A new contemporary museum district
in the Netherlands – Museumplein
Limburg – features a science centre,
a design museum and an inverted
planetarium. We take a closer look
Promotional feature: Polin
Polin’s patented technologies, extensive R&D and creative flair have made it one of the world’s leading waterpark design and manufacturing companies
Waterparks: Taking the Plunge
Waterpark suppliers constantly develop
their product offers. We dive into the
world of waterpark R&D to find out more
Zoos & Aquariums: The Long Game
UK safari park Longleat is undertaking a
decade-long upgrade that starts by going
back to its roots. As the attraction turns
50, CEO Bob Montgomery explains how
he’s bridging the past and the future
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Templespa Templespa was founded in 2000 by Liz and Mark Warom, seasoned entrepreneurs with a proven track reco [more...]
