Haichang Ocean Park, mainland China’s largest operator of marine theme parks, plans to expand its portfolio of international intellectual property (IP) to attract more domestic visitors.
The company owns and operates six parks in China, in locations such as Dalian, Yantai, Shanghai, Chongqing and Sanya. It has also licensed its brand to four other parks.
At a media event in Shanghai on Saturday (10 June), Zhang Jianbin, executive president of Haichang Ocean Park, said the group is responding to growing demand for international IP (via South China Morning Post).
New One Piece zone in Shanghai
“We understand that Chinese consumers have been in love with some of these foreign IPs, and we will introduce more IPs [to our parks] to offer them the best experience,” he said. “Visitors to our parks will have access to attractions with different themes.”
Also on Saturday, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park opened a new area based on the Japanese manga series One Piece. The zone features interactive shows, shops and F&B outlets. Haichang Ocean Park has opened a similar zone at its park in Dalian.
Developed by Legacy Entertainment, Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park is home to 30,000 marine animals and mammals, as well as entertainment experiences, rides and attractions.
“Disneyland and Haichang Ocean Park are among the best-known tourist destinations in Shanghai and will benefit from the revival of the travel industry,” said Li Wenjie, CEO of Shanghai Yaheng International Travel.
“It is advisable for Haichang to expand its IP portfolio as a way to sustain business growth in the future.”
Meanwhile, Haichang Ocean Park is working with Saudi Arabia’s investment ministry to develop theme parks and other location-based entertainment (LBE) experiences in the kingdom.
Cheng Qu, Haichang Ocean Park’s executive director, said the company wants to create “entertainment venues including the first world-class Ocean Park”.
In the UK, Merlin Entertainments is hoping to develop more rides and attractions using Sony IP.
