Shanghai Disney Resort General Manager: Shanghai - a win-win land where dreams come true

Thanks to strenuous efforts made by both sides and years of arduous negotiations, in January 2009, nearly 20 years after the idea of bringing a Disneyland to Shanghai was born, it was finally announced that Disney would build a theme park in Shanghai. On April 8, 2011, the day Shanghai Disney Resort officially broke ground, Mickey Mouse, wearing a traditional Tang suit, appeared for the first time in Shanghai’s Chuansha New Town.

(As the tallest and biggest Disney castle in the world, the Enchanted Storybook Castle at Shanghai Disney Resort successfully topped out on May 19, 2015.[Photo/Shanghai Disney Resort])

Although not involved in the early negotiations between Disney and Chinese partners, Philippe fully understands the reasons why Disney chose Shanghai as its first step into the Chinese mainland market. First, Shanghai has a huge consumer base: within a three-hour ride of Shanghai, you can reach approximately 350 million income-qualified consumers. The second factor was China’s developing economy and the changing perceptions and expectations of Chinese consumers – from being very focused on work and developing wealth, to balancing their lives and the need to take a vacation and enjoy the tourism industry. Finally, Shanghai is a place with a pool of top quality talent from which Shanghai Disney Resort could recruit.