By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-24 00:28:09 | Updated at 2025-01-24 03:48:20
3 hours ago
Shanghai is poised to up its game in the battle for tourists amid intensified competition in the region, with talks under way for a Harry Potter-themed area.
The eastern metropolis plans to remodel an existing theme park, and when the sprawling area reopens in two years, it looks to give Harry Potter fans a chance to play out their “wizarding world” fantasies.
A local district government and a state-owned tourism conglomerate in the city are in discussions with US-based Warner Bros, the producer of the movie series adapted from the original British novel and the owner of the rights to the Harry Potter media franchise.
Zhang Qi, a deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, confirmed such talks while speaking on the sidelines of the annual session of the local legislature last week.
If negotiations bear fruit, the 40-year-old Jinjiang Action Park in Shanghai’s Minhang district could be renamed The Making of Harry Potter, offering an immersive experience to fans of the franchise. The district government, in a reply to an inquiry from a local political consultative conference member in February, was optimistic about a joint venture between Jin Jiang International Holdings and Warner Bros to form an operator.
Local authorities expressed hope that the attraction will lure more than 2 million visitors a year while generating more than US$150 million annually, according to the reply seen by the Post.
