Thousands of visitors went into mass in the first Legoland park in China, which opened its doors in Shanghai on Saturday, July 5. Despite an scorching temperature, LEGO fans rushed to the park, the world’s largest legland with 318,000 square meters.
“I love playing with the LEGO and we have a lot at home. So I wanted to come to Legoland as soon as possible,” said Shi, a 35 -year -old resident of the neighboring city of Hangzhou, who visits the park with his wife and son.
Despite the weak growth of the Chinese economy in recent years, the internal tourism market has increased by 18.6% in the first quarter, compared to last year, according to official statistics. “From Pandemia (by Covid-19), I made very few trips abroad,” said Shi, adding that his family now goes “several times a year” to China’s theme parks. Beijing has announced subsidies to make trips inside the country more affordable for Chinese citizens, and encourages provincial powers to largely market their attractions on social networks.
Other amusement parks will open in China
LEGOLAND will face a tough competition: a new “Spider-Man” attraction in Shanghai Disneyland was inaugurated in May, while Warner Brothers is preparing to open a Harry Potter park, also in Shanghai, by 2027. And the American giant of the Hasbro toy has announced this week that his giant park Peppa Pig in the Southern Metropolis in the creative design phase “. “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.” “.
The Chinese toy manufacturer to collect Pop Mart, meanwhile, has opened in Beijing an attraction with life -size versions of its popular Labu toys. “The different provinces are making many efforts to develop their tourism industry, and they all have special attractions,” says Xu, 34, who visits Legoland with their children.
But profitability remains a problem, especially for local companies whose brand is less known. At the end of 2024, about 40% of the parks still failed to generate profits, according to state media. However, analysts point out that a growing population of retirees and changes in the labor market are key factors that promote more Chinese to visit national attractions. “The labor market becomes more flexible,” said Ernan Cui, an analyst at Givkal Research, “more people have free time to travel.”
Source: BFM TV
