Published on : Thursday, October 4, 2018
Merlin Entertainments is the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, and it raked in millions running Legoland and Madame Tussaud’s in China.
Propelled by a booming middle class, China’s craving for entertainment has grown enormously over the past decade. They are now more willing to spend money on leisure activities, and not just necessities.
Merlin launched its newest draw in Shanghai this autumn.
According to Benjamin Sweet, new openings director for Merlin in the Asia Pacific region, “The Chinese market is full of vitality and vigor. The newly-opened Shanghai Dungeon is the litmus test for development into other cities.” He added that China is where the growth and excitement is, and where a growing consumer base really likes high-quality entertainment and this is where Merlin Entertainments is all about.
Not only China has the biggest domestic tourism market in the world, but also the leading outbound market globally. The number of Chinese travelers has increased by double-digit figures over the past decade.
The UNWTO said that in 2017, Chinese tourists spent 259 billion US dollars internationally, which is almost one-fifth of the world’s total spending. And their footprint has gone beyond traditional tourism destinations.
“It is a new market for us. In the last two years, we had a growth of 50 percent, which is enormous. We continue promoting our beautiful country so more Chinese can really get to know Greece and have a desire to visit her,” said Elena Kountoura, the Greek Tourism minister.
China’s inbound and outbound tourism market is expected to increase in the coming years, and account for a bigger share of the global tourism industry.