Tokyo Disney debuts new area as foreign visitors pack in

Chiba governor welcomes tourists as city ponders lodging tax

20240606 Fantasy Springs area at Tokyo DisneySea

Visitors pose for a photo at the new Fantasy Springs area at Tokyo DisneySea in Urayasu, Chiba prefecture, Japan, on June 6. (Photo by Akitoshi Sugiura)

CHIHIRO ISHIKAWA and NANCY ZHENG, Nikkei staff writers

June 6, 2024 18:56 JST

CHIBA, Japan -- Tokyo DisneySea on Thursday opened its newest area and hotel as its operator this year expects a record high rate of foreign visitors, around 14%, or around 4 million people.

The park was buzzing as the gates to Fantasy Springs opened. Despite the expected difficulty of reserving tickets, some lucky foreign visitors managed to snag a few.