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Polar Ocean Park to join Disneyland at centre of Shanghai's effort to become global tourism hub

First it was Mickey Mouse. Then Kung Fu Panda. Now, penguins and polar bears are being recruited in Shanghai's efforts to attract tourists.

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Tourists dive in the aquarium at Haichang Polar Ocean World in Chengdu, Sichuan. Haichang plans to open a polar theme park in Shanghai. Photo: Xinhua
Daniel Renin Shanghai

First it was Mickey Mouse. Then Kung Fu Panda. Now, penguins and polar bears are being recruited in Shanghai's efforts to attract tourists.

As the theme park developer and operator Haichang broke ground on its 3 billion yuan (HK$3.8 billion) Polar Ocean Park on Sunday, city officials pledged to create synergy between the marine complex and Shanghai Disneyland to draw tourists from across the world.

"We hope to achieve a mutually beneficial development," Chen Mingbo, the deputy governor of Pudong district, said.

Shanghai's Disneyland is scheduled to open next spring, while the ocean park is likely to be operational by the end of 2017.

The city planned to expand the expressway that already linked the two theme parks with a drive of less than half an hour, said Wang Xuguang, chief executive of Haichang.

The company, based in Dalian, Liaoning province, expects to draw 6 million tourists a year to its Shanghai resort, which Wang says will house more marine species than any other park in the world.

"Shanghai has every reason to become the largest tourist destination in East Asia," Wang said. "A world-class ocean park will be a good addition to the development of the tourism hub."

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