Universal theme park in Beijing set for 2019
- By Zhang Rui
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China.org.cn, September 14, 2015
|
|
|
The Universal Beijing Theme Park and Resort Joint Venture Agreement Signing Ceremony was held in New York at the headquarters of Comcast NBCUniversal on Sept. 13, 2015 with Li Shixiang, Executive Vice Mayor of Beijing, Liu Yi, CEO of Beijing Tourism Group, and Yu Xuezhong, General Manager of Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co., Ltd attending, along with Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, Stephen B. Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal and Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts. [Photo/China.org.cn] |
The Beijing Universal theme park deal was signed on Sunday in New York, indicating a milestone for the project to move forward.
The Universal Beijing Theme Park and Resort Joint Venture Agreement Signing Ceremony was held in New York at the headquarters of Comcast NBCUniversal.
The project was approved last September by China's State Council and the National Development and Reform Commission after 13 years of negotiation and planning. After the approval, various involved parties have worked hard to push forward the progress and business negotiations.
The joint venture agreement marked the project's new milestone, establishing a solid foundation for it to enter into substantial operation phase. After the agreement was signed, Chinese and American parties formed the joint venture as soon as possible and plan to begin various preparation and construction work.
Li Shixiang, Executive Vice Mayor of Beijing, attended the ceremony and met with Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Corporation, Stephen B. Burke, CEO of NBCUniversal and Tom Williams, Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts in New York. Li pledged strong support from the Beijing government for the project to create a good environment for building and operating a world class theme park. He also expected more investments from Comcast NBCUniversal in the future.
Roberts thanked the Beijing government for their help and support, saying he is very optimistic about Beijing's future development. Besides the theme park, they will look for more opportunities to enlarge their business in China, especially in Beijing.
According to previous reports, the overall investment in Beijing's Universal theme park will be more than 50 billion yuan (US$7.85 billion), in which 21.5 billion yuan (US$3.37 billion) will be invested into building the core area. The development of the first phase of the theme park will be finished in 2019 and Beijing's subway line 7 will also be extended to allow an easier commute to the park.
 |
|
A conceptual overview of the Universal Beijing Theme Park and Resort. [File photo] |
Beijing's Universal theme park and support facilities will occupy a 120-hectare site in Tongzhou District, Beijing. The theme park will be accompanied by a Universal CityWalk entertainment complex and a first-ever Universal-themed resort hotel. The theme park will blend China's rich cultural heritage with Universal Parks & Resorts' unique family entertainment experience and Hollywood movie culture with Hollywood mogul Steven Spielberg as a creative consultant.
The park will be jointly owned by Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co., Ltd., a consortium of four state-owned companies, and Universal Parks & Resorts, a business unit of Comcast NBCUniversal. The sequel projects after 2019 will include the second theme park, a water park and another five resort hotels.
Universal Beijing will be the sixth and largest Universal Studios theme park ever built.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)