Chinese parks

Orlando, Wednesday, 19 November 2025.
On Monday Su Zhigang, chairman of Chimelong Group, became the first Chinese industry leader inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame, acknowledging decades of large‑scale resort development, attraction design and integrated hospitality leadership. For retail and attractions professionals this milestone signals broader acceptance of Chinese operators within the global ecosystem and could accelerate outbound investment, cross‑border IP licensing and supplier partnerships. Chimelong’s track record — three world‑class resort destinations, 17 Guinness World Records and multiple TEA/IAAPA awards — underpins the recognition and validates its positioning alongside legacy global operators. Commercially, expect heightened demand for Chimelong consultancy, themed‑land exports and collaborative development deals, and a re‑rating of Asia‑Pacific competitive dynamics and supplier selection criteria. The induction reframes how recognition translates into tangible opportunities: partnerships, licensing pipelines and procurement shifts. This provides a prompt for retailers and suppliers to reassess market entry, partnership approaches and risk allocation tied to Chinese‑led, cross‑border themed‑entertainment projects.

Zhuhai, Friday, 24 October 2025.
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom reported notable attendance growth in 2024, rising to roughly 12.6 million visitors and holding sixth place in the global rankings—a reminder that large domestic destination parks can rival established foreign-branded resorts. The most intriguing fact: China’s integrated resort model—heavy spend on marine exhibits, high-throughput attractions and targeted regional marketing—helped a non-Disney/Universal park secure a top global position. For retail and park operators, this signals shifting footfall patterns and growing local discretionary spending that demand rethought capacity planning, dynamic pricing and merch assortments tuned to longer-stay, family and regional travelers. Investors should factor in lower sensitivity to international travel cycles for well-positioned domestic resorts. Competitive responses may include product differentiation, tighter day-part pricing, and expanded F&B and retail bundles tailored to domestic travel flows to capture incremental per-capita spend in second-tier coastal hubs such as Zhuhai/Hengqin.