Universal Beijing Resort opens on Monday to 10,000 visitors
BEIJING: Universal Studios' Beijing resort opened its doors to the public yesterday after a two-decade wait, including delays because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The highly anticipated opening takes place amid US-China relations that have deteriorated in recent years.
The park will be US-based Universal's largest and its fifth globally. It is also a first for Beijing, which lacks a big branded theme park to rival the Disney resorts in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
And, it will be the first Universal park with a section dedicated to the movie Kung Fu Panda and includes an area based on the Harry Potter franchise, which is popular in China.
Amid light rain and tight security yesterday, a public holiday in China to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival, a steady stream of umbrella-wielding visitors entered the resort. "When it comes to Universal Studios, we are all big fans of Marvel movies," said 27-year-old Beijing resident Pi Tiantian, who visited the park yesterday.
"We really want to experience this resort. This one here also really likes Harry Potter," she added, pointing to a young male companion.
All 10,000 tickets for the opening were sold out in three minutes, according to Trip.com Group.
Beijing-based visitors snatched 40 per cent of the tickets for the first month, while the cities of Tianjin and Shanghai were the second- and third-largest sources of patrons, according to travel website qunar.com.
Still, many buyers complained on social media about ticket prices, which range from 418 yuan (S$87) in the low season to 748 yuan during peak periods. The park is estimated to earn more than 10 billion yuan a year in revenue with up to 12 million visits. - REUTERS
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