Universal Studios Opens Beijing Park Under Anti-Virus Curbs

BEIJING (AP) — Harry Potter fans came dressed as wizards as Universal Studios opened its first theme park in China on Monday under anti-virus controls.

The Hollywood studio’s “Jurassic Park,” “Kung Fu Panda” and “Harry Potter” film franchises, plus Minions from “Despicable Me” feature prominently at Universal Studios Beijing on the Chinese capital’s eastern outskirts.

The opening went ahead despite coronavirus outbreaks in China’s southeast that prompted the government to tighten travel controls in some areas.

“We’ve been longing for the opening for quite a while,” said a visitor, Niu Haoxuan.

Visitors were required to wear masks and display a smartphone-based health code that shows whether they have been to regions deemed at high-risk of infection.

After a report of a possible case in Beijing last week, “we were very worried,” said Zoe Shi. “We thought about whether we should still go. It turned out to be untrue in the end. We feel lucky.”

Universal Studios Beijing is the Chinese capital’s first foreign-branded amusement park. It is the fifth worldwide for Universal Studios and the third in Asia, after Japan and Singapore. Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal, a unit of Comcast Corp.

The park received high-profile support from the Beijing city government despite tension between the ruling Communist Party and Washington. The city extended a subway line and added a station named for the park.

Universal Orlando Raises Ticket Prices For Single Day, Park-To-Park Tickets

Photo courtesy Universal Orlando Resort

Universal Orlando Resort confirmed reports Thursday that the amusement park would be raising its single-day ticket prices.

According to WFTV.com, officials from the theme park acknowledged that the cost of single-day passes jumped from $102 to $105 on Wednesday. As for the park-to-park ticket prices, they also increased, climbing from $147 to $155.

Annual passes will remain at $215.

Officials from Universal released a statement to FoxNews.com, saying, “We set our prices to reflect the value of the experience we provide our guests. And we provide the greatest value where our guests tell us it matters most – with our popular multi-day tickets and vacation packages. Guests who use multi-day tickets or packages can save as much as $40 off our single day ticket price.”

Universal Studios raised its single-day ticket prices to $102 in early 2015, around the same time Walt Disney World also increased the cost of its passes, according to FoxNews.com. Tickets for Disney's Magic Kingdom are currently $105.

Source: www.travelpulse.com, DONALD WOOD 

Hello Kitty Is Coming To Universal Theme Parks

Sanrio, the global lifestyle brand best known for beloved pop icon Hello Kitty, and Universal Parks & Resorts have announced their partnership to develop Hello Kitty interactive retail experience shops scheduled to open later this year at Universal Orlando Resort and in the future at Universal Studios Hollywood.

The shops will mark Hello Kitty's official retail debut at theme parks in North America and offer specialty merchandise including stationery, home goods, apparel, accessories and collectibles. The majority of merchandise will be devoted to Hello Kitty; Sanrio properties Chococat®, My Melody®, Badtz-Maru®, Purin™ and Keroppi® will also have a presence. Hello Kitty confectionery and specialty co-branded Hello Kitty Universal park-exclusive products will also be available.

The Hello Kitty stores at Universal Studios will also offer enhanced interactive retail experiences. Customers can shop for custom designed merchandise, enjoy photo opportunities with Sanrio properties, create souvenir versions of Hello Kitty's signature bow, and even meet Hello Kitty herself.

"Our partnership with Universal brings Sanrio's experiential entertainment presence to a new level," said Janet Hsu, President and COO of Sanrio, Inc. "We look forward to this introduction into Universal theme parks to offer new connection points to Sanrio fans of all ages."

Sanrio's partnership with Universal Parks & Resorts highlights the brand's continued expansion into lifestyle entertainment. Recent projects include the successfully unprecedented 'Hello Kitty Con' fan convention and 'Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty', a record-breaking museum exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Hello Kitty's Supercute Friendship Festival, a live entertainment show and interactive fan festival that has reinvented the concept of a live character show, is currently touring select cities in the U.S. and Canada. Sanrio's unique approach to lifestyle entertainment has proven to be a highly effective way of connecting with their legions of fans of all ages across the country.