Shanghai Disney receives over 1 million visitors

Entertainers dressed in Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse costumes perform at the Shanghai Disney Resort May 16, 2016. [Photo/IC]

SHANGHAI - The Shanghai Disney Resort has received more than one million visitors since opening on June 16.

"We've welcomed well over a million guests since we officially opened the gates on June 16 and their reaction has been everything we'd hoped for and more,"said Robert Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of Walt Disney Company.

"Ticket sales are strong. People are staying in the park longer than we ever imagined they would," he said, adding that hotel occupancy is holding steady at 95 percent.

"It's obviously far too early to identify trends and make forecasts or projections, but Shanghai Disney Resort is clearly off to a strong start," he said.

Disney's Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger holds a news conference at Shanghai Disney Resort as part of the three-day Grand Opening events in Shanghai, June 15, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

"Before the gates even opened we were already planning for the future. Our first expansion is now under construction, and we have plenty of room to add new lands, attractions, hotels and more,"said Iger.

Located in Pudong District, the 3.9-square-kilometer resort is the first Disney resort on the Chinese mainland.

The regular price of admission is 370 yuan ($57). Peak pricing for holidays and weekends is 499 yuan.

With an investment of around 34 billion yuan ($5.2 billion), the resort is a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company and Shanghai Shendi Group.

People walk at Shanghai Disney Resort during a three-day Grand Opening event in Shanghai, June 15, 2016.[Photo/Agencies]