Mickey's stroybook express (parade) in Shanghai Disney Resort on Wednesday. Photo: Huang Ge /GT

Shanghai Disney Resort officially opens on Thursday, becoming the first Disney destination in the Chinese mainland and the sixth worldwide.

"China is Disney's largest market in the world… While fulfilling the Disney dream, Shanghai Disney has been done in a way that respects Chinese culture," Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger told a briefing Wednesday in Shanghai.

Blending the Disney style and China's cultural spirit is what Iger refers to as "authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese."

Jiang Yiyi, director of international tourism development at the Beijing-based China Tourism Academy, told the Global Times Wednesday that "the Chinese designs can be viewed as the US company's efforts to localize its growth in the country."

Classic Chinese characteristics are visible in the resort not only in building designs but also stage shows that use the Chinese language, performers, theatrics and acrobatics.

On Tuesday night, the global premiere of The Lion King in Putonghua was launched at the Walt Disney Grand Theatre as the start of a three-day celebration for the official grand opening on Thursday.

The opening of the international theme park marks a milestone in China as it represents one of the largest foreign investments in the country's history, experts said Wednesday.

Since the resort started selling tickets in March, the response has been enthusiastic, so much so that advanced booking has been extended to September 30, Wang Yan, Disney's vice president for sales, told the Global Times Tuesday.

"In a bid to create a pleasant customer experience, the numbers of visitors will be controlled on opening day," Wang said, but made no projections on the number of daily visitors.

During its trial run from May 7 to Saturday, the resort received more than 500,000 visitors in total, according to media reports.

The estimated $5.5 billion resort includes the Shanghai Disneyland park with six themed districts: Mickey Avenue, Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland.

The resort also features two hotels, a shopping district and 40 hectares of gardens, lakes and parkland, the Disney website showed.

The first phase of the resort covers 963 acres with additional land available to accommodate future expansion, including additional theme parks and other related resort development, said the company.

Stiff competition

Shanghai Disney Resort will provide stiff competition to domestic rivals thanks to Disney's international stature, management and operational capability and quality service, Xue Shengwen, an industry analyst at Shenzhen-based CIC Industry Research Center, told the Global Times Wednesday.

Although domestic parks like Dalian Wanda Group's theme parks have grown rapidly in recent years, they will be hit by Disney's to some extent, Xue said.

However, Wang Jianlin, Wanda Group Chairman, said he would make Disney unprofitable in the next 10 to 20 years, according to media reports in May. Disney said Wanda will not have any impact on its operations, financial news portal sina.cn reported on Monday.

Besides, Shanghai Disneyland will become the first choice for many Disney fans, attracting visitors from Hong Kong Disneyland as the location is more convenient, experts noted. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort opened in 2005.

The outlook for Chinese theme parks doesn't look good, with only 10 percent reporting a profit, Xue noted.

But Disney reported a net profit of $3.03 billion in 2015, media reports said.

The revenue of domestic theme parks comes from traditional ticket sale methods, but for global parks like Disney, "If you enter the park, the cost is more than just for a ticket," said Jiang.

Disney is a conglomerate with interests in theme parks, movies, food, costumes and publications, which could spur more consumption, Jiang said, noting that domestic theme parks are expected to learn from it to expand their growth.

Too expensive?

One of the challenges that Disney faces is pricing, as the entry fee and park expenditures are relatively higher than domestic competitors, said Xue.

Adult tickets for a day-long trip go for 499 yuan ($75.7) and 375 yuan for children and seniors. Admission to Wanda theme parks costs around 200 yuan.

Media reports also said food and souvenirs at Disney parks are expensive.

"The price of Disney souvenirs will be similar to comparable ones at other Disney parks, but might differ based on the exchange rate," a Disney shop employee who requested anonymity told the Global Times Wednesday.

"Food at the park will definitely be more expensive because it is a tourist attraction, but not as expensive as previously reported," he said.

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