On June 16, 2016, Shanghai Disneyland welcomed its first batch of visitors in the drizzling rain. Who would have thought that in ten years, Disney would be able to submit such a report card?!

On June 16, 2026, tens of thousands of tourists and cast members gathered in front of the Fantasy Fairy Tale Castle to celebrate the park's birthday.

In the past decade, the Shanghai International Tourism Resort, centered around Shanghai Disneyland, has received over 180 million visitors and achieved a total tourism industry revenue of 116.4 billion yuan.

Among them, the cumulative passenger flow of Shanghai Disneyland has exceeded 100 million, ranking fifth in the world and first in China.

In its first year of operation, it achieved financial balance between revenue and expenditure, with an average annual tourism revenue exceeding 8.7 billion yuan.

So here comes the question...,

When the world's amusement parks are anxious,

It's been ten years since I went to Shanghai,

Why are you still raging?

01. What kind of transcript have you submitted in the past ten years?

What is the concept of 100 million people?

More than 90% of the total population of countries and regions worldwide.

Behind this number is a complete industrial chain. At present, Shanghai Disney Resort directly employs about 15000 cast members, of which 99% are from China. According to industry calculations, each direct employment position can drive the addition of 6 to 7 indirect employment positions in related industries. Over the past decade, from park operation and on-site services to creative design and comprehensive management, this amusement park has generated hundreds of thousands of job opportunities for the Yangtze River Delta region.

Bicester Shanghai Shopping Village has achieved a compound annual growth rate of 25% in sales over the past decade, and will receive approximately 4.3 million visitors by 2025, setting a new historical peak. With Disney at its core, Shanghai International Tourism Resort is moving from a single amusement park to a modern tourist city.

Besides the data, there are also some details worth pondering.

Take the iconic project "Zootopia" as an example. Since its opening two and a half years ago, the total mileage traveled by tourists in Zootopia police cars has reached about 910000 kilometers, equivalent to 22 circles around the Earth's equator.

The derivative IP economy is the main revenue model for Disney. Since its opening, the resort has launched over 32000 products and sold over 31 million Disney themed plush keychains. What concept? If these key rings are stacked vertically, the total height is equivalent to 16560 Oriental Pearl TV Tower Radio and Television Towers. Taking Chuansha Daji as an example, since the debut of Lina Belle in September 2021, the resort has launched over 670 Lina Belle themed products.

Over the past decade, the total weight of the Crazy Animal City Claw Ice Cream sold in the resort has reached 532 tons, equivalent to the total weight of 100 to 130 adult Asian elephants. LePaiTong photographers have taken approximately 329 million photos for tourists.

These numbers pieced together not only represent the operational ledger of a amusement park, but also a decade of deep binding between a commercial entity and a city.

Why is it still so popular after ten years?

If you don't dance or play mahjong, you're willing to go to Disneyland for a stroll. "Surprisingly, this is the daily routine of a retired man.

Mr. Qiao bought tickets three months before the opening of the park in 2016 and waited happily like a child. After retirement, this amusement park became his "happy hometown", where he watched float parades, browsed shops, and chatted with the cast and crew he knew. He collected hundreds of Disney badges and thus made many young friends in the park.

Professor Lou Jiajun from East China Normal University observed that in the past decade, Shangdi's customer base has achieved full coverage from children, young people to middle-aged and elderly people, which is rare in the world.

Behind the coverage of all age groups is a continuous supply of content.

From the six major theme parks at the time of opening to the "Toy Story" theme park and the world's first "Zootopia" theme park, Shanghai Disneyland has maintained a stable pace of expansion.

This phased development strategy does not adopt the radical model of one-time "spreading the cake", but instead adds explosive content points to the amusement park through continuous innovation, while reducing investment risks.

The core concept established by Shanghai Disneyland from the planning stage is "authentic Disney, unique Chinese style". Integrating Chinese elements organically into architecture, catering, performances, and other aspects, allowing tourists from all over the world to experience both Disney's classic projects and Shanghai's local culture.

PwC China consulting partner Lu Yao observed that China's tourism consumption has undergone a transformation from "watching the show" to "entering the show", and from "experiential consumption" to "emotional consumption". Establishing a deep and sticky connection with consumers through IP is the core logic of Disney's ability to break through age groups.

Associate Professor Xu Mengran from the Department of Marketing at Fudan University School of Management pointed out a more specific design logic: unlike traditional theme parks that only focus on simple stacking of entertainment facilities, Shanghai Disneyland has built a complete chain of immersive experiences. The amusement park accurately sets the emotional peak for visitors throughout the day - in the evening, through fireworks displays and music, the experience emotions are frozen at a high point, forming a deep memory anchor point.

Transforming 'this trip' into 'high-frequency consumption' is the essence of Disney's business model.

03. What other big moves will there be in the next decade?

Shanghai Disneyland will never be completed, "said Ma Shengyuan, Chairman of Disney Experience, on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

This is not a slogan. At present, Shanghai Disneyland is expanding its ninth theme park, the Spider Man theme park, and the last section of the red track in the park was installed several weeks ago. After completion, this will be the first large-scale Marvel themed attraction within Shanghai Disneyland.

The hotel sector is also expanding. The third themed hotel is officially named "Shanghai Disney Star Wish Hotel", with 400 rooms, and is expected to be put into operation this winter. The fourth hotel has entered the design and planning stage and will become the closest Disney hotel to the park in the future. The classic project 'Soaring Over the Horizon' will increase capacity by nearly 50% and present a completely new ending.

Greater imagination space is beyond the amusement park.

Across the river from Disneyland, the 2.77 square kilometer "Oriental Joy City" is moving from blueprint to reality. We have planned themed hotel clusters, cultural and performing arts venues, trendy commercial districts, digital entertainment industry parks, and ecological residential communities here.

Shanghai Shendi Group is introducing new IPs, projects, and scenarios that are both international, futuristic, and immersive, focusing on increment, agglomeration, and synergy effects, to create a "3+N" business layout - a trendy sports cluster with sports as the theme, an ecological healing vacation cluster with animals as the theme, and a Chinese creative technology exhibition cluster with technology and culture as the theme.

Disney World International President and Managing Director Fei Shuya revealed that in the future, cross-border cooperation can be carried out in multiple fields such as music, fashion, and sports. The collaboration between Disney and F1 has proven that the boundaries of IP are much wider than imagined.

On the occasion of its tenth anniversary, Walt Disney Company CEO David Trench said, "After welcoming over 100 million visitors, Shanghai Disney Resort has become one of Walt Disney Company's proudest achievements. As we look back on the past and look forward to the future, what I am most looking forward to is that everything has just begun

Ten years old is still childhood for a person. For a amusement park, it may be the same.

*The image is from the internet and has been hacked and deleted