More than 70 years ago, while standing in front of more than 240 acres of land in California, Walt Disney suddenly imagined a "giant" land - a place that is not only a park with game areas but also a "paradise" combining many types of entertainment, art, and culture. A place where whether you are 5 years old, 10 years old, 20 years old, 40 years old or even 60 years old... you can still "dream about".
That seemingly "fantastical" dream of Disney was also the beginning of the journey to "paint an unimaginable picture" of the global entertainment industry with "billion-dollar" complexes attracting up to 150 million visitors each year.
"Billion dollar entertainment empires"
In 1955, the first Disneyland officially opened in California (USA). This is an "all-in-one" entertainment and resort complex that satisfies the modern world's thirst for experience. In the first 7 weeks after its opening, Disneyland attracted 1 million visitors.
Today, the Disney World system spans across continents with 12 park complexes. These complexes are also considered "money-making machines" that bring in billions of dollars each year for many destinations. In 2016, with an investment capital of up to 5.5 billion dollars, Shanghai Disney Resort - a complex with full entertainment services, golf courses and resorts surrounded by the rivers of Pudong was officially opened. According to statistics in 2019, this complex helped Shanghai's GDP increase by 0.21%, while helping the city's tourism revenue increase by 4.09% in the period 2016 - 2019.
Meanwhile, in Korea, built by Samsung in 1976 and nestled among the mountains and lush forests of Yongin City, the Everland Resort complex owns the largest amusement park in Korea with an average of 8 million visitors per year. In addition to the theme park, Everland also has a complex of amenities including a water park, a Safari area, a resort, a golf course and a racetrack. In 2023, the revenue of this complex reached 775.2 billion won.
According to data from World Metrics, in 2018, the number of visitors to amusement park complexes reached more than 543 million - a figure that is approximately 7% of the world's population. In 2019, globally, this industry earned more than $52 billion and is forecast to have a compound annual growth rate of 7.9% from 2020 to 2027, in which Asia is the hot spot with 7.5%.
It can be said that all-in-one complexes combined with amusement parks are still the "trump card" of the tourism industry. Therefore, it is not surprising that the "powers" in the world continue to pursue this race. For example, the UAE has started to implement the 334km² Qiddiya Complex - a mega entertainment and tourism project in Jeddah with resorts, parks and a racetrack.
Meanwhile, last year Japan also approved a $13.5 billion plan to build a giant complex in Osaka with an entertainment area, convention center, hotel, restaurant and casino.
The "brand face" model elevates the destination
Not only are they theme parks, like Disney's "ambition" more than half a century ago, tourism and entertainment complexes such as Disney World, Universal Studios or Everland... are also "combinations of fairs, exhibitions, playgrounds, community centers, museums, resorts" . With thorough investment, it is not surprising that these complexes quickly become "brand faces" to elevate tourism, contributing to the overall socio-economic development of many destinations.
In Beijing, China, the Universal Beijing Resort complex, which includes a theme park, restaurants, shops, two resort hotels, and 37 entertainment venues, helped Tongzhou District's five-sector culture, sports, and entertainment revenue growth increase by 101.6% in 2022, surpassing the Beijing average of 97.7%.
In 2018-2019, more than two-thirds of tourists surveyed said they came to Shanghai because of Disneyland, and most stayed for 2-3 days, generating revenue for accommodation and ancillary services. Meanwhile, since its opening, in addition to nearly HKD 130 billion contributed to the "fragrant harbor" economy, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has also created nearly 291,000 jobs for the tourism industry in this country. Nearly 60% of the total workforce of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort has worked here for 5 years or more.
In Vietnam, in recent years, many destinations have established a foothold on the regional tourism map and created momentum for socio-economic development thanks to their large-scale, well-organized entertainment complexes that attract millions of visitors each year. The most typical example is Da Nang with the "fairyland" Sun World Ba Na Hills.
In 2009, right after Sun World Ba Na Hills operated the first cable car line, Da Nang's tourism industry had a "bumper season" with 1.35 million arrivals, an increase of 12.8% over the same period in 2008. From 2009 to 2018, the number of visitors to Da Nang "galloped" up to 463%, and the number of visitors to Ba Na also increased more than 160 times.
After 15 years, according to statistics from many travel agencies, 8-9 out of 10 guests request to go to Ba Na Hills to see the Golden Bridge. In the first 6 months of 2024, 70% of nearly 1.5 million international visitors to Da Nang chose to go to Ba Na.
At the same time, Ba Na Hills is currently contributing to creating direct jobs for hundreds of local workers and indirectly creating a "symbiotic" source of income for supporting service activities such as food, beverage, transportation, travel, etc., helping a large number of local people have a more stable income than working in agriculture and forestry. These telling numbers have shown the role of this complex in the socio-economic development of Da Nang.
Continue writing big dreams
Disney World, despite its "peak fame", has pledged to invest $60 billion over the next 10 years in Disneyland, 70% for new experiences, and the remaining 30% for technology and infrastructure, including maintenance of existing attractions. No exception, over the years, Ba Na Hills has been constantly innovating to retain and bring visitors back to Da Nang.
After the "explosion" of bringing Vietnam to the world with the Golden Bridge in 2018, countless impressive experiences and constructions have been introduced such as the Time Gate, the Moon Castle, the Eclipse Square, the Sun God Waterfall, most recently the craft beer factory with the Sun KraftBeer brand and a series of shows gathering the world's top entertainment stars such as Fairy Blossom, WOW Kingdom, Rainbow...
In the vision of Sun Group - Vietnam's leading tourism developer, with a total investment of more than 39 trillion VND, Ba Na Hills will not only stop at its current level but also aim for the level of a "Genting or Disneyland of Vietnam", helping Da Nang reach tens of millions of visitors each year.
That strategic vision and the Group's steadfastness in the philosophy of quality, class, and distinction are highly appreciated by experts. "I call it unique. The unique Da Nang International Fireworks Festival; the unique Golden Bridge. Or the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort has always been a unique architectural symbol of resort... Shaping such high-class characteristics is a way to guide other businesses to continue to contribute their part to Da Nang - consistently but always differently" - economic expert Tran Dinh Thien commented.
Walt Disney once affirmed that amusement parks will always develop strongly to meet the needs of tourists. The journey of writing big dreams of Ba Na Hills, Disneyland... will certainly continue by adding, upgrading, constantly "renewing", diversifying experiences to create tourism icons that "leave a mark beyond time".
The global influence of billion-dollar entertainment empires is also a measure of success for destinations. Therefore, with the determination to invest heavily in Ba Na Hills, Da Nang tourism will increasingly flourish, soon reaching new heights on the world tourism map.
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/to-hop-du-lich-ty-do-thuoc-do-thanh-cong-cua-nhung-diem-den-toan-cau.html
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