Shanghai Disney Resort marks 10th ground-breaking anniversary

Shanghai Disney Resort officially opens in Pudong New Area, east China's Shanghai, June 16, 2016. (Xinhua/Chen Fei)

SHANGHAI, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Disney Resort celebrated the 10th anniversary of its ground-breaking on Thursday, with president and general manager Joe Schott expressing his great confidence in the resort's future.

"We believe in the long-term benefits of the China market. That's what you'll see us continue to do," Schott said.

Since its opening on June 16, 2016, Shanghai Disney Resort has set many records, including welcoming more than 11 million guests in its first year of operations, beating market expectations.

Among the main features of the resort's story is the rapid expansion of its operations. The first major expansion, Disney·Pixar Toy Story Land, opened on April 26, 2018, making Shanghai Disneyland the fastest Disneyland in the world to expand after opening.

The second major expansion is the Zootopia-themed land, which is currently under rapid construction in Shanghai, and is the first-ever Zootopia-themed land at any Disney park in the world.

According to He Jianmin, a professor at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, the resort has made a positive impact on the industry chain, improving service quality and innovating tourism products.

Shanghai plans to double the number of scenic spots and tourist projects each with more than 10 million visits annually in 2025, compared with 2020. In this context, the Shanghai Disney Resort could be a new driver for the high-quality development of the tourism industry in the Yangtze River Delta, He said.

Analysts have pointed out that, thanks to the continuous development of China's economy and the growing middle-income population, the consumption demand for culture and tourism among the Chinese people has increased.

The success of the resort reflects China's continued expansion of opening-up and has proved the trend of win-win cooperation among different economies, said Quan Heng, an economist with the Shanghai Federation of Social Science Associations. ■