Monday, April 16, 2018

Breaking News: Oriental Land Announces Plans to Expand Tokyo Disney Resort, but NO third theme park



Oriental Land Co. on Sunday officially announced plans to expand Tokyo Disney Resort. The operator of TDR is planning to expand one of its two theme parks, either Tokyo Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea. It ruled out the possibility of establishing a third theme park. It will announce more information about the plan, such as new attractions and when the expansion will be complete, as soon as the details are confirmed.

“We would like to create a Tokyo Disney Resort that fulfills new dreams. Currently, we are planning the park’s expansion and looking into how to expand our park,” said Oriental Land Chairman Toshio Kagami at a ceremony commemorating the 35th anniversary, and giving the first official word on the expansion plans, reported last November, which aim to increase visitor numbers and reduce congestion.

Details of the expansion and when it will happen have not yet been determined. A project to turn the existing ground-level parking lot into a multistory car park tower is scheduled to be completed in fiscal 2019. The development will free up land and open the way for new features to be added. The expansion project is expected to start after the parking revamp is complete.

Tokyo Disney Resort drew 30.1 million visitors in fiscal 2017, marking the fifth year in a row in which more than 30 million people have passed through its gates. The theme park’s success means the need to reduce congestion has become more pressing.

More attractions to be completed over the next few years include one named “ Soarin’,” which will open at Tokyo DisneySea in 2019, and a "Beauty and the Beast"-themed facility to be added at Tokyo Disneyland in 2020.

( From Asahi Shimbun and Japan News )

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