Consumers buy Disney souvenirs at the World of Disney Store in Shanghai Disney Resort on June 16. Photo: Wu Shiliu

On Thursday morning, many tourists were seen at the Shanghai Disney Resort, and their hands were full with shopping bags and souvenirs, as they indulged themselves in family outing, street shopping and restaurant feasting as the city gets back to normal after containing a voracious  coronavirus flare-up in the past two months.

Shanghai Disney Resort said its main Disneytown and Shanghai Disneyland Hotel resumed operations from Thursday. The World of Disney Store and part of the outdoor areas including the Wishing Star Park reopened last week, though the Shanghai Disneyland remained temporarily shut.

Most tourists headed directly for the World of Disney Store in Disneytown to purchase souvenirs, filling their shopping bags and trolleys with fluffy dolls. The Global Times saw that many had to wait for about half an hour to check out.

A Shanghai-based consumer surnamed Gu told the Global Times that she spent 4,000 yuan ($595) in the store and specially brought a trolley for her shopping. 

"I'm shopping for myself and my friends. I am so thrilled and uplifted that part of the resort has been reopened as life has returned to normal in the city, and I am looking forward to the opening of Disneyland soon," Gu said.

Thursday also marked the sixth anniversary of the resort's launch in Shanghai.

Inside Shanghai Disneytown in Shanghai Disney Resort on June 16. Photo: Wu Shiliu

A 27-year-old tourist surnamed Zhu told the Global Times it was his fifth visit to the resort since it resumed operations.

"I did my nucleic acid test yesterday and left home at 8 am to see if there were some special items for sale," Zhu said.

He said that since the resort partly resumed operations last week, the number of visitors has steadily grown, with people queuing up to enter the store.

In other parts of Disneytown, shopping, dining and entertainment activities have all come back and the shops are seen operating at required 50-percent capacity, with enhanced precautionary measures.

Dine-in services are not available and tourists are required to order online and pick up their food at separate windows of the restaurants.

All guests are required to present a green Shanghai Health QR Code and a negative nucleic acid test taken within 72 hours, scan the venue code and undergo temperature screening upon entering the Shanghai Disney Resort. 

Different locations and shops in the resort also require tourists to additionally scan the venues' codes before entering, and disinfectants are available at the entry points. Staffers of the resort were seen holding banners to remind tourists to maintain social distancing.

As one of the most favored themed parks of Chinese tourists, searches for Shanghai Disney on major online travel platforms soared as the resort reopened.

Data from China's online travel platform Tongcheng Travel showed that searches for "Shanghai Disney" increased more than 31 percent in June compared with May. The most-asked questions by tourists were the opening times of Disneyland.

It is expected that Shanghai Disneyland theme park will soon be reopened and comeback at a faster pace than in 2020 as Shanghai is returning to normal, Yang Yong, dean with the School of Tourism at East China Normal University, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Street views of Shanghai Disneytown in Shanghai Disney Resort on June 16. Photo: Wu Shiliu

Shanghai Disneyland was the world's first Disneyland to reopen amid the coronavirus breakout in early 2020, resuming operations in May 2020 after a temporary shut-down in January 2020.

"It is expected that the resort will see increasing tourist visits this summer, which is a peak season for theme parks. The number of tourists is expected to pick up gradually," Yang said.

The partial reopening of the Shanghai Disney Resort followed the reopening of a number of tourist attractions in Shanghai after the city lifted the lockdown on June 1.

According to Tongcheng Travel, from June 1 to 7, the number of tickets issued for scenic spots in the city recovered to about 50 percent of the same period last year. 

A report by Trip.com pointed to a strong rebound of domestic tourism in summer time following the reopening of sightseeing spots in Shanghai and Beijing.

Data from Trip.com showed that inbound and outbound flight ticket bookings for Shanghai and Beijing in the week ended on June 8 increased by 118 percent and 115 percent respectively from the previous week.