Sanya Hello Kitty Theme Park
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Construction of the Hello Kitty theme park has begun! Today one new piece of concept art was revealed and the park’s final layout/design is still unclear.

A private developer from Hong Kong, eyeing a gap in the family tourism market in China’s southernmost Hainan province, plans to build the first branded theme park to cash in on the tropical island’s popularity as a domestic and international tourism destination.

Keyestone Group plans to build a Hello Kitty theme park there, the second in China after Anji in eastern Zhejiang province, which opened in 2015. The complex, spread over 52 acres (2.27 million square feet) in the provincial capital Sanya, will also include a 250-room luxury hotel, and is estimated to cost 4 billion yuan (US$620 million) when completed. Construction started last month and the park is set to open in the second half of 2024.

“We see a growing demand for family entertainment in China,” chief executive Jeffery Pun said. “We aim to build a theme park that will be one of the most Instagrammable places in China.”

Keyestone, which owns the Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort and Spa among its assets in Hainan, signed a licensing agreement with a unit of Sanrio of Japan in July 2019, allowing it to use most of the Japanese company’s more than 400 trademark characters, including Hello Kitty, My Melody and Gudetama, in the theme park.

Keyestone believes an amusement park based on the Japanese cartoon character in Hainan is feasible as its duty-free malls, white sandy beaches, tropical sunshine and relaxed visa requirements have increased its tourist appeal.

The Hello Kitty theme park could create 3,000 to 4,000 jobs in Hainan, and draw 1.5 million to 2 million tourists a year, according to the company’s projection, Pun said. Nearly 90 per cent of visitors are projected to come from China, he added.

Source: https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3116509/hong-kongs-keyestone-group-plans-hello-kitty-theme-park-hainan-tap-chinas

Hello Kitty, an iconic Japanese cartoon character, will find a new home in China as the country's southernmost island province of Hainan will open a theme park based on her image in 2024.

According to an agreement signed between Sanrio (Shanghai) International Trade Co., Ltd., which owns the rights to the Hello Kitty brand, and Chinese company Keyestone Group Co., Ltd., the theme park will be located in Sanya's Haitang Bay, a popular beach city in Hainan.

The project will include a theme park, a hotel and shopping facilities.

The park is expected to receive about 2 million tourists each year after it opens to the public in 2024, according to Pan Jiade, chairman of Keyestone Holding Group Co., Ltd.

Sources: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201907/31/WS5d410c15a310d83056401fc7.html and https://www.sohu.com/a/330264758_810071