China’s first Legoland opens to tourists in Shanghai

People attend the grand opening ceremony of the Legoland Shanghai Resort, the world's largest Legoland theme park (STR)
People attend the grand opening ceremony of the Legoland Shanghai Resort, the world’s largest Legoland theme park (STR)

Thousands of local tourists poured into China’s first-ever Legoland as it opened its gates in Shanghai on Saturday, the latest theme park hoping to capitalise on a domestic tourism boom.

The Chinese branch of the British-owned theme park franchise is the biggest Legoland in the world.

It drew in early customers who flocked to attractions including a miniature train ride and a dragon-themed rollercoaster.

“I personally love to play with Lego blocks and we have many sets at home… so I wanted to come to Legoland at the earliest opportunity,” said Shi, a 35-year-old resident of nearby city Hangzhou, who was visiting the park with his wife and child.

Despite the Chinese economy’s sluggish growth in recent years, domestic tourist spending grew 18.6 percent in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous year, according to statistics.

“Ever since the pandemic, I’ve made very few trips abroad,” said Shi, adding his family now travels to theme parks around China “many times a year”.

Eager Lego fans rushed into the park as soon as it opened, wearing themed shirts and waving branded flags as they enjoyed the 318,000-square-metre (78.5-acre) compound in scorching temperatures.

Beijing has announced subsidies intended to make travelling within the country more affordable for Chinese citizens, and is pushing local governments to heavily market their attractions on social media.

Companies have taken note of the wider local tourism boom and stepped up their plans in China.

A new “Spider-Man” attraction at Shanghai Disneyland broke ground in May, while Warner Brothers is set to open a Harry Potter experience in Shanghai by 2027.

Toy giant Hasbro said this week its giant Peppa Pig park in the city was now “in the phase of creative design”.

Chinese collectable toy maker Pop Mart has also opened an attraction in Beijing featuring life-sized versions of its popular Labubu toys.

“The various provinces are putting a lot of effort into expanding their tourism industries, and all of them have special attractions,” said Xu, a 34-year-old parent visiting Legoland on Saturday with his children.

But profitability remains a problem, especially for local companies with less brand recognition.

As of late 2024, around 40 percent of parks were still failing to turn a profit, according to state media reports.

Yet analysts point to a growing population of retirees and job market changes as key factors pushing more locals to visit domestic attractions.

“The labour market is turning more flexible,” said Ernan Cui, China consumer analyst at Gavekal Research.

Source link

Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today

Related Article

Political scientist Robert Pape visited some of China’s biggest tech firms last month. Photo: LinkedIn

Could hi-tech China revive the US rust belt – and steady superpower ties?

China could draw on its innovation in advanced manufacturing to improve business – and overall – ties with the United States amid a fragile trade truce, according to a prominent American political scientist. In an interview, Robert Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago, also said China could “rise peacefully” to be the world’s

Smoke is seen from outskirts of Kyiv after a Russian drone and missile strike in Ukraine on July 4.

China tells EU it can’t accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine, official says

CNN  —  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the European Union’s top diplomat that Beijing can’t accept Russia losing its war against Ukraine as this could allow the United States to turn its full attention to China, an official briefed on the talks said, contradicting Beijing’s public position of neutrality in the conflict. The admission

America 'accuses' one of China's largest technology company: You plotted to steal our trade secrets and ...

America ‘accuses’ one of China’s largest technology company: You plotted to steal our trade secrets and …

A U.S. federal judge has reportedly ruled that Huawei Technologies, China’s leading telecommunications equipment manufacturer, must face a sweeping 16-count indictment accusing the company of stealing trade secrets, racketeering, wire and bank fraud, and violating U.S. sanctions. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly rejected Huawei’s motion to dismiss the charges, calling the company’s arguments premature in

File photo

China urges US to jointly promote ‘stable’ economic ties amid Trump tariff letters

Beijing’s reaction comes after Trump announced that he will send letters to various countries stating how much tariffs they will pay China on Friday urged the US to jointly promote “stable” economic ties as US President Donald Trump mulls sending letters to nations over his “Liberation Day” tariff. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning expressed

'Relief, but not celebration', AmCham Vietnam Chair says devils are in the details in the trade deal

Trump’s Vietnam pact targets China, raises more questions than answers

Thai Son S.P. Co. garment factory in Thu Duc, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, on June 21, 2025. Daniel Ceng | Anadolu | Getty Images U.S. President Donald Trump announced a trade pact with Vietnam on Wednesday, but its scant details have left economists wondering about what it would mean for the flow of Chinese goods

U.S. Coast Guard Ship Visits Philippines

Map Tracks US Coast Guard Missions Near China

A Newsweek map shows the United States conducting Coast Guard missions with allies—the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Australia and India—in waters near China since May. USCGC Stratton, a Legend-class national security cutter, was deployed to the western Pacific to strengthen maritime governance, the U.S. Coast Guard previously told Newsweek. Newsweek has contacted the Chinese defense

0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x