(Yicai Global) May 12 -- This month and June will drive a peak in reopenings among Chinese theme parks as many operators look to follow Shanghai Disneyland's example after it became the world's first Disney resort to open its doors again amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to an online travel agency.

Call it the "Disneyland effect," wrote Gou Zhipeng, vice president of Qunar.Com, in a report yesterday when the Disney-themed tourist attraction reopened after a shutdown that spanned more than 100 days. Many amusement parks across the country will try to hit the restart button soon, eyeing rapid recovery during summer holidays, Gou added.

Some 30 percent of China's mainland theme parks have already resumed operations after disruptions caused by the Covid-19 epidemic. Visitors have seven options in terms of where to go in southwestern China's Chengdu, six in Shenzhen, and four in Shanghai, including Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park. By the end of this month, southern Guangzhou is expected to have three of its parks open.

A total of 15,000 tickets for the reopening day of Shanghai Disneyland were sold out in an hour, which proves that Chinese consumers still want to spend money on leisure and possess the best spending power in the world, The Paper reported, citing travel agency Trip.Com's Chief Commercial Officer Fang Hongfeng.

Over last weekend, searches on national theme parks quadrupled in comparison to the previous weekend that coincided with the five-day Labor Day holiday, according to Qunar.Com. Some of the popular search hits included Zhuhai's Chimelong International Ocean Resort, Qingdao Haichang Polar Ocean World, Beijing's Happy Valley, and Suzhou's Huayi Brothers Movie World.

Editor: Emmi Laine