2016年CRI Is Shanghai Disney Resort Appealing to Right Crowd?

 

Since the start of a trial operation in the middle of May, negative comments have sprouted¹ across the Internet concerning the lofty cost of commodities and services at the resort.

For each individual tourist, a three-day visit could cost as much as 2,280 yuan, or 350 US dollars, according to Ctrip, one of China's leading providers of travel services.

The price may look somewhat high to ordinary Chinese tourists who in 2015 made an average disposable annual income of nearly 3,340 US dollars, but falls within acceptable margin² to attract tourists from developed countries.

The friendly pricing policy might just provide the right incentive³ for Aretha from North Berwick, Maine, USA.

"A big hurdle⁴ would be getting across the ocean to China, so it will have to be a huge incentive for me to get all the way over there, so I'm not just gonna go to Florida or California."

However other foreign tourists, like Stephanie from Pennsylvania, would like to see something typically Chinese at the resort.

"Maybe with a little Chinese flare⁵, probably more of the traditional stuff. I really like Chinese history, I like to see their culture and tradition integrated with the Disneyland theme."

To meet such demands, Disney CEO Robert Iger recommended shows directed by Chinese artists, food with oriental flavors and signboards designed in Mandarin⁶ first and translated into other languages.

There is also the Garden of Imagination that features Chinese Zodiac animals but in the forms of classic Disney characters.

The Florida-based company is hoping such Chinese characteristics will help them attract tourists from Europe and other parts of the world, but Shannon from Baltimore says she needs to learn about it first.

"I had no idea because I don't even know how much it will cost, I have no idea. I would like to see a brochures or little trailers of what the park is gonna be like, the features, stuff like that."

Perhaps many of the challenges the company is facing can be approached with improved public relation strategies.

But their PR division is showing some reservation in dealing⁷ with media, has just declined a request for interview with China Radio International.

The reluctance⁸ to engage the media makes the company looks vulnerable especially when Chinese competitors are challenging their financial prospects⁹ going forward. Established Chinese real estate and entertainment mogul Wang Jinlin has expressed his aim to prevent Disney from being profitable in China over the next 10 to 20 years.

How soon Disney will recover the 5 billion investments in Shanghai is yet to be seen, but knowing whom to appeal to certainly won't hurt their business.

For CRI, I'm Luo Laiming from Washington DC.

1 sprouted   

v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• We can't use these potatoes; they've all sprouted. 这些土豆儿不能吃了，都出芽了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rice seeds have sprouted. 稻种已经出芽了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

3 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

4 hurdle   

n.跳栏，栏架；障碍，困难；vi.进行跨栏赛

参考例句：

• The weather will be the biggest hurdle so I have to be ready.天气将会是最大的障碍，所以我必须要作好准备。
• She clocked 11.6 seconds for the 80 metre hurdle.八十米跳栏赛跑她跑了十一秒六。

5 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

6 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

7 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

8 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

9 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。