Shanghai Disneyland has now been open for going on five years, and it has been the most successful international Disneyland since Tokyo. Since the original Disneyland opened, with one exception Disney has opened a new resort once every decade, so we are speculating as to where the next Disney resort could be located.
As we explore this we are going to consider a variety of factors. First, the presence of other Disney theme parks in the regions we are discussing, as well as other similar parks. Next, the population of the proposed location, and if it could support a Disney park. Finally, we will look at the economic and political relationship Disney has in various areas. All of these will contribute to where parks would and would not make sense.
Where Won't A Park Be Built?
So first we are going to discuss various areas where a Disney resort will not get built.
A new resort is not coming to North America any time soon. The only regions that could potentially support a Disney Park that don't already have one are Texas and New York, and both would not really make sense. Texas is too close to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World and would likely hurt the existing parks. New York is a bit close to Walt Disney World, but the main problem there is the winters that Disney would probably not want to deal with.
The entire continent of Africa is probably out of the question simply as there isn't a developed enough city that could support a park with land and a hospitable climate at least in the short term, although this could be a place a park could come further in the future.
The Middle East also really does not make sense. It has made a strong push to become a theme park capital in recent years, but none of the parks really took off. This just really doesn't make financial sense.
Europe is also almost certainly out of the question as well. Disney has just started to get Disneyland Paris on the road to long-term success so adding another park in direct competition makes no logical sense.
Finally, South America is probably out of the question as well. Brazil would have been the best choice, but given recent troubles in the region, this is probably out of the question for the near future.
With that lets move on to actual locations that might make sense.
Where To Build a Park?
The two most recent Disney resorts were both built in Asia, in Hong Kong and Shanghai China. Both of these serve massive cities that are growing in population and economic power. This is probably the model Disney will try to replicate.
There are several areas in Asia that would be perfect for another Disney resort, and the region as a whole is still growing fast enough that it could probably support another Disney Park without it cannibalizing the existing ones.
Within Asia, there are two locations that make the most sense and we are going to discuss the pros and cons of both of them.
First, Beijing. This would be the second Disney Resort in mainland China, but it would serve an entirely different region, the more northern region of China. This is just as strong economically as Shanghai, and is starting to invest more in theme parks. Universal has a park set to open there this year that Disney could potentially open alongside once it proves its success. But Disney would likely need the approval of China to compete with another park and its uncertain if they could get it. Disney did have a good relationship with the Chinese government during the reign of Bob Iger as CEO, but we don't know if that will continue under a new CEO.
Disney has also made a lot of moves in India recently, and with its growing population and booming economy, it could make for a good location for a new Disney theme park. The company and its properties already has a significant reach in the country so there is an existing fanbase. But Disney doesn't have a big on the ground presence so it may not be the easiest location to build in.
Wildcard Locations
While the above are the two most obvious locations for a park, we are still going to discuss a few other places one might be able to work.
Australia might work, specifically in the eastern region of the country, although it is questionable if the country has enough of a population to support a full Disney resort. Disney might not want to risk another smaller scale resort after the underperformance of Hong Kong Disneyland.
If Beijing is not an option, South Korea could also be another region that would work for a third theme park in mainland Asia. It has a strong economy, but political issues could be an issue with this park, and it would likely need to find a way to adapt itself to the local culture like Disney did with Shanghai.
Disney is always looking to expand, and these could be locations to watch in the near future.
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