How the theme park industry "joint growth"
Ticket grabbing caused the collapse of official apps and mini programs, Megatron became an “net celebrity”, and queued for 6 hours to buy goods from Lingna Belle... Recently, the theme parks of Beijing Universal Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort The heat is unprecedentedly high.
The popularity of theme parks doesn't stop there.
Currently, a series of theme park construction projects are in progress-Legoland and Paramount theme parks will enter China; Huaqiang Fangte, Haichang Ocean Park, etc. will build park projects in various places.
Why are theme parks so popular?
How to do IP development?
What kind of development model will be formed in the future?
On the road to "joint growth", what kind of answers will the domestic theme parks give?
Why are theme parks so popular
Case study
During the National Day holiday, the average number of visitors per day in Universal Beijing Resort exceeded 25,000, and there was a long queue of visitors. In Beijing Happy Valley, the number of visitors on the first day of National Day reached 50,000, compared with 2019 The annual growth rate is nearly 100%; Shanghai Disney Resort has also ushered in a peak of passenger flow, and many popular projects have a queue time of about an hour.
"There are a lot of tourists in the park, and the queue time for some popular projects is basically more than 110 minutes. You can only wait for people to rush to the line and play in the time." A "second visit" Beijing Universal Resort on October 6 Of Beijing tourists told reporters.
Why are theme parks so popular?
The love of film and television IP, immersive experience, fun projects, suitable for taking pictures, etc. are the reasons why many young people "check in" theme parks.
"Kung Fu Panda, Harry Potter, and Minions are all IPs that I am familiar with. The park can provide an immersive play experience. Such theme parks are rare in China, not to mention that they are open at the doorstep." Gao Jian, a Beijing citizen, told reporters that he has already made a plan to go to Beijing Universal Resort.
Lin Huanjie, Dean of the China Theme Park Research Institute, analyzed and pointed out that as one of the world's first-class theme parks, Beijing Universal Resort carries the new expectations of tourists. The first-stage effect of the newly opened park also makes tourists full of curiosity and enthusiasm for the park.
In addition, the epidemic has affected the flow of tourists around the world, and domestic theme parks have undertaken a large amount of tourism demand.
The brand and IP of the theme park are also extremely attractive.
Through the reproduction of scenes, the park creates an immersive entertainment scene, which is favored by tourists.
Based on online statistics, Dianping showed typical popular "new" attractions in 10 cities during the "November" holiday this year, and Beijing Universal Resort ranked first among the popular attractions.
The popularity of the theme park market is not only reflected in theme parks such as Universal and Disney.
From this year's Mid-Autumn Festival to the "Eleventh" long holiday, tourists' demand for experience in theme parks has been stimulated.
Qunar data shows that the total number of tickets issued by the Top 50 theme parks in China during the "November" holiday this year has increased by nearly 20% compared with the same period in 2020.
Compared with relying on IP to attract tourists, the tourist groups of theme parks represented by Beijing Happy Valley are clearly distinguished from those who go to Universal Studios in magic robes and go to Disney with cartoon headbands.
Teenagers who are unfamiliar with IP, young people who focus on experience projects, and parent-child tourists have found "simple happiness" in these parks.
Lin Huanjie's analysis pointed out that theme parks of different sizes cover different tourist sources.
In recent years, tourists from Beijing Happy Valley have mainly come from Beijing, which has become a choice for people's leisure and entertainment.
With the opening of Universal Studios, Beijing Happy Valley has taken over the overflow of tourist demand and, in conjunction with promotional methods such as annual cards, has brought about an increase in the number of tourists.
From the perspective of the entire market, Lin Huanjie said that with the increase in the number of tourists and the improvement of living standards, theme parks have become an important choice for people to release tourism demand and even release work pressure. The domestic theme park market has huge potential.
Universal Studios and Disney rely on well-known IPs to attract tourists, and Happy Valley, Chimelong and other parks have also increased their attractiveness by adding amusement projects, special activities, and promotional methods.
What is the "wealth code" of theme parks
Case study
How much does it cost to buy a set of "Hogwarts Entrance Equipment"?
A list of expenses for purchasing products around the park has received widespread attention on the Internet.
It is reported that in the Harry Potter Park of Beijing Universal Resort, the purchase of a magic robe costs 849 yuan, a scarf costs 299 yuan, and a magic wand costs 349 yuan.
"I bought a magic robe, as well as a tie, wand and academy badge." In the scenic area, a tourist wearing a magic robe told reporters that because he liked this IP very much, he bought a lot of related cultural and creative products, except for the tickets. Cost, shopping and eating in the park also cost about two thousand yuan.
At Shanghai Disneyland, the recently launched products inspired by the little fox Lingna Belle have also stimulated a buying craze.
"The queue started at 8 o'clock in the morning, and it hadn't entered the World Store by 11:30." Netizen Jingjing shared her experience of buying Lingna Belle series of goods.
The new IP has brought a very hot consumer enthusiasm for Disney-many people have not entered the store, some products have been sold out; some tourists queued for more than 6 hours in order to purchase related products.
With Lina Belle as the IP, Disney has created a series of themed products, including plush toys, headbands, backpacks, etc., and also launched a Lina Belle theme dining experience.
Successful IP operations like Lina Belle are not unique to Disney. From the newly launched Star Delu, Duffy Bear, to classic images such as Mickey Mouse and Princess series, batches of new and old IP have become Disney. Develop cultural and creative products and "wealth codes" for scenic spots.
The cultural and creative products of movie IP such as Harry Potter and Minions, the Kung Fu Panda themed room, and the interactive breakfast experience with the role of Despicable Dad are also the selling points of Beijing Universal Resort to attract tourists.
The successful operation of IP has allowed the theme park to build a comprehensive and diversified commercial system including cultural and creative products, attractions, hotels, restaurants, etc.
The data shows that in Beijing Universal Resort, themed tour revenue only accounts for 30% of the total business revenue, and the remaining source of income is related industry profits driven by theme park entertainment facilities.
Park hotels, catering, and retail sales of goods accounted for the largest proportion of Shanghai Disney Resort’s revenue sources.
In contrast, about 80% of the revenue of domestic theme parks depends on ticket revenue.
Why is the driving power of IP so strong?
Lin Huanjie analyzed and pointed out that many IPs in foreign theme parks, such as Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Avatar, etc., have been designed, planned, filmed and produced for a long time.
After the film and television works are released, they are transformed into real-life entertainment projects in theme parks, which have a good fan base.
In addition, in terms of IP conversion, the investment scale of tens of billions and the sophisticated development and production are important factors for the success of its development.
"To build a tourist resort requires resonating with local culture and consumers. This is a process of co-creation." Miao Lewen, president and general manager of Beijing International Resorts Co., Ltd.'s theme park and resort management branch, pointed out that Beijing Universal Studios is not a simple copy of Universal IP. Its design and development process incorporates local insights and is closer to market needs.
In Beijing Universal Resort, IP designs such as Kung Fu Panda, Minions and Transformers incorporate many Chinese characteristics and cultural elements.
The design team has designed and produced more than 1,000 movie-themed souvenirs exclusive to China, including the Little Yellow Man Zodiac series.
In addition, site selection is equally important to the successful operation of the theme park.
Lin Huanjie pointed out that cultural, economic, climate, traffic conditions and other factors should be considered when selecting a theme park site.
Beijing, Shanghai and other places have great advantages in these aspects. In addition to convenient transportation and suitable climate, the surrounding residents have high tourism demand and strong consumption power. The city can radiate to consumer groups across the country. These factors are the popularity of theme parks. Provided protection.
How local theme parks break through
Case study
Driven by the demand of the tourism market, the number of theme parks in China has grown rapidly in recent years. A number of theme parks such as bear-infested theme parks, "Eternal Love" series theme parks, and Happy Valley have been built in various places, bringing tourists a variety of options for play .
The popularity of international brand theme parks has brought more people's attention to Chinese theme park brands.
However, in terms of operations, statistics from the China Theme Park Research Institute show that as of the end of 2019, of the 339 theme parks in China, 25% of the domestic theme parks were losing money, 22% were flat, and 53% were profitable.
Do nearly half of the unprofitable data reflect that theme parks are facing operational difficulties?
Lin Huanjie said that at present, many leading domestic park brands still have good market appeal.
The market space of Chinese theme parks is very large, and there is still great market potential for the development of domestic brands in the future.
From the perspective of brands, after international brands enter China and domestic famous brands continue to transform and upgrade, domestic park brands will undergo a process of elimination and transformation, which is beneficial to the development of the entire industry.
With the increasing demand of domestic tourists for in-depth tours, cultural flavors, and personalized tourism, how can domestic theme park brands make up for their shortcomings and increase their attractiveness?
Compared with the hot international brand theme parks, the lack of IP development has obviously become a shortcoming of domestic theme parks.
Limited by the shortcomings of IP operations, domestic theme parks mainly rely on ticket revenue, and the revenue model is still relatively simple.
Lin Huanjie said that the IP of some domestic theme parks lacks foundation and recognition, relying on novels and legends as the IP, without forming emotional communication with the audience through film and television works, it is difficult for the audience to generate expectations.
In addition, the investment scale, the scale of the park, the relatively small brand influence, and the relatively short R&D planning cycle restrict the further development of domestic theme parks.
Lin Huanjie pointed out that in terms of IP development, we must first understand the psychological needs of tourists, do a good job of market research, and transform IP into a suitable play mode.
At the same time, we will do a good job of matching park projects for customers of different age groups.
It is necessary to dig deeper into traditional cultural elements, increase research efforts and capital investment, and tell Chinese stories well.
In recent years, many theme parks have begun to focus on IP construction.
Relying on the "national IP" bears, the Huaqiang Fantawild Theme Park has become one of the most popular theme parks for domestic tourists.
At present, its number of high-tech theme parks is the largest in the country, and its tourist reception is among the top five in the world.
In addition to well-known animation IPs, parks with traditional Chinese culture and folklore as themes are also attractive to tourists.
During the National Day, Shenzhen Splendid China Folk Village National Day themed activity "Ethnic Quest", launched an immersive and panoramic Tibetan cultural visual feast "Tashi Delek Show" in Northern Shaanxi October Harvest Festival, red memory theme performances, etc., attracting It has attracted the attention of family travel and surrounding tourists.
In addition to making up for IP shortcomings, high-tech, diversification, and integration will become the development direction of domestic theme parks.
Lin Huanjie said that in the future, the theme park industry will develop into a resort area and become a complex covering scenic spots, hotels, commerce, etc., which may also drive the construction of health and wellness towns, sports towns and other large-scale commercial districts. ,develop.
(Our reporter Yao Yaqi)