DOMESTIC PARKS VS.DISNEY.docVIP

DOMESTIC PARKS VS.DISNEY 　　Before Disney opened its first resort on the Chinese mainland， the sixth of its kind worldwide， China’s real estate tycoon Wang Jianlin raised quite a few eyebrows when he claimed on a talk show on China Central Television that Disney shouldn’t have built a resort in Shanghai. According to Wang， since China already has many domestic theme parks， “Disney will fail to be profitable in China in 10 to 20 years.” 　　“Disney’s advantages lie in the large number of cartoon characters it has created. However， this may also become a burden as Disney is expanding based on previous cartoon creations without innovating its business model，” claimed Wang. 　　Wang’s remarks were aired shortly ahead of the opening of the Wanda Cultural Tourism City， also known as the Wanda City， in Nanchang， capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province on May 28. By making such remarks， he was suspected of devising a public stunt to promote the park’s inauguration. 　　In response to Wang’s comments that Disney will be unable to turn a profit over the next 10 to 20 years， Wu Liyun， an associate researcher with the China Tourism Academy， said whether Disney can become profitable depends on market factors. Considering the size of the theme park market on the Chinese mainland， what Wang predicted is unlikely to happen. 　　Wu said that compared with Disney， which has been engaged in developing theme parks for over 60 years， Wanda still has a long way to go. Whether Wanda can transform into a cultural tourism conglomerate like Disney depends on its business model and how well it utilizes traditional culture. 　　This is also true regarding other Chinese theme park giants. Domestic theme parks face the need to adapt to the impact of increased competition from their foreign counterparts. 　　 A booming industry 　　Amidst the transformation of the Chinese economy from one focused on investment to one which is consumption-based， tourism will embrace new growth opportunities as part