China: OCT’s Expansion Plans

The Shenzhen OCT Holding is held as China’s principal amusement park builder and operator. According to Liu Pingchun, Chairman of OCT’s supervisory board, the company “wants to have an amusement park in most of China’s provinces”. However, OCT intends to avoid a direct competition with foreign parks within their future plans, as german.china.org.cn reported recently. As a matter of fact, OCT has the advantage of knowing the Chinese culture and tradition. The company actually plans to use this knowledge in the future - according to reports Pingchun says: “OCT includes elements of the Chinese culture in all products which are offered in its parks. No theme park survives without any culture.” Without having made any concrete specifications, Pingchun pointed to the fact that the planned investments of OCT would be “enormous”. This challenge by OCT can definitively be seen in the context of authorities’ approval from November for the construction of a second Chinese Disneyland in Shanghai. Happy Valley theme park operated by OCT is considered as China’s most favored amusement park – 25 million visitors were counted in 2008! (eap)