The U.S.-based theme park 'should adapt to local environment'
Chinese consumers' enthusiasm for the Shanghai Disney Resort seems to be fading since the park opened in June, media reports said Thursday.
Experts noted that the drop in enthusiasm is normal, given the high expectations prior to the opening of the facility.
The seemingly waning attraction of the theme park can be discerned in the fact that there are no longer any difficulties getting tickets, and discounted tickets from some agents are flowing into the market, news portal news.china.com reported Thursday.
Shanghai Disney Resort couldn't be reached for comment as of press time.
"The rush to buy tickets is no longer taking place as it did in March when Shanghai Disney began to sell tickets," a ticket agent on taobao.com, Alibaba Group Holding's online shopping platform, told the Global Times on Thursday.
"Ticket prices were driven as high as 560 yuan ($84) on taobao.com on the opening day, but now someone only needs to spend 450 yuan to get one adult ticket from our online shop," said the vendor, who refused to be identified, noting that he got the tickets from the official sale channel of Shanghai Disney Resort.
According to Shanghai Disney Resort's website, the one-day ticket price for an adult is 499 yuan. It costs 375 yuan per child and per senior.
"We will not adjust the ticket price on taobao.com before August 31, but after that, the price will ease further as the end of the summer vacation will somewhat cut into market demand," noted the vendor.
"After a month of operation, demand for the 'wonderland' normalized," Song Ding, a Shenzhen-based market analyst at the China Development Institute, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Song said that current visitor levels accurately reflect market demand.
Tickets are expensive, too, and the level of service hasn't lived up to everyone's expectations, Song noted.
"Online sellers may get discounts by buying in bulk, and that's why they can sell the tickets at a relatively lower price," said Song.
Since its opening, Shanghai Disney Resort has closely limited the release of tickets. From June 16, the park's opening day, to September 30, the total number of tickets released reached 7 million, according to the report by news.china.com.
Apart from its official ticket sale channel, 67 travel agencies joined forces with Shanghai Disney to sell tickets, including online travel agent Tuniu Corp, Ctrip and agencies like China CYTS Tours Holding Co that have physical stores, said the report.
Also, media reported in July that it was taking four hours for tourists to get into some of the hottest projects in the park, but the waiting time is now much shorter.
"It took me and my son an average of two hours to see the hottest sites in the Shanghai Disney park, which I think is lucky because the waiting time was said to be four hours one month ago," Du Kai, a 40-something tourist from Zunyi, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, told the Global Times on Thursday.
Du said he booked tickets online one month ago from Ctrip. "The price on Ctrip one month ago was 499 yuan for an adult, but when I checked on Wednesday, there were some discounts," he noted.
Considering Disney's reputation, visitor flows will remain stable, experts said.
"But Disney still needs to adapt to the Chinese local environment and this will mean a transitional period," Song said.
Song cited the example of Disney's business in Paris, which posted years of losses before making a profit, noting that Shanghai Disney Resort may face the same issue.
Local competitors are adding to the uncertainty over Shanghai Disney's prospects, according to Song.
Dalian Wanda Group in May announced a plan to open more theme parks in -China. Chairman Wang Jianlin said that plan meant that Disney will not make a profit on the Chinese -mainland over the next 20 years.
