Disney’s theme parks are the most popular in the world. In 2009, its locations in California, Florida, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo entertained almost 120 million people.
Since the announcement that a new resort would open in Shanghai in 2015 there has been much speculation as to where Mickey Mouse would next take up residence.
Shanghai Disneyland is expected to take at least four years to construct, meaning that any new park would probably open around 2020.
The Philippines is the latest country to make a bid to become a part of the international Disney family. Aptly nicknamed Filipino politician Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin has asked Bob Iger, Walt Disney Company CEO, to consider the Clark Freeport Zone – a former US air base in the province of Pampanga – as the next Disneyland location.
Lazatin believes the Freeport zone on Luzon Island – the largest and northernmost part of the archipelago – is ideal because it’s not far from Clark International Airport.
It remains to be seen if Disney will see the Philippines as an attractive new home. On the one hand the country has a population of 90 million and welcomes four million tourists each year. On the other, much of that population lives in relative poverty and the country’s existing large theme parks – Enchanted Kingdom and Star City – have struggled to prosper.
Other locations thought to be in the running for the next Disneyland include South Korea’s capital Seoul, Russia, the UK, South Africa and Mexico City.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
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