Shanghai Disneyland to receive US$1.6bn injection
Staff reporter 2012-09-13 12:06 (GMT+8)
When completed, the Shanghai Disney Resort will be three times bigger than Hong Kong Disneyland, pictured above. (Photo/Xinhua)
The Shanghai Disney Resort, still under construction, will receive an investment boost of 10 billion yuan (US$1.6 billion) this year, reports the city's Oriental Morning Post.
On Tuesday, Shanghai's tourism chief Dao Shuming said the city has 20 key tourism projects planned between 2011 and 2015, with a total value of 100 billion yuan. Six of the projects have already commenced construction, he added.
Funding for specific projects include 500 million yuan (US$79 million) for the Sheshan National Forest Park, 260 million yuan (US$41 million) for a development at Nanqiao town in Shanghai's Fengxian district, 20 million (US$3.2 million) for the Wuyue Jiehe Cultural Tourism Zone and 10 million yuan (US$1.6 million) for the Binhai Tourism Zone.
The biggest proportion of the funding will go towards the Shanghai Disney Resort, which will receive 10 billion yuan in 2012. The theme park, which completed its planning phase this year, has a target opening date of December 2015 and will be approximately three times the size of Hong Kong Disneyland.
Dao also said that Shanghai, which has been a popular stop for cruise ships in recent years, will be looking to develop its own fleet of ocean liners in the future. Private enterprises are in the process of preparing applications in Hong Kong and the UK, he said.
From January to July this year, Shanghai welcomed 4.71 million tourists, an increase of 2.5% on the same period of 2011.
