Universal Beijing Resort fans snap up tickets as sales open

Tickets for Universal Beijing Resort officially went on sale starting midnight on Sept 14, attracting lots of fans, which even led to a shutdown of the resort's official app for a time.

According to data from the online travel platform Qunar, the first ticket sold in just one second, while tickets for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday all sold out in 30 minutes. Meanwhile, searches for nearby hotels increased by more than sevenfold.

A total of 100,000 one-day dated tickets sold out at the flagship store for the Chinese online travel agency Fliggy, Beijing Daily reported, adding the number of fans for this flagship shop increased 150 percent from late August, when the theme park announced its opening date.

Universal Express passes have also become a hot item. As of 6 am, Universal Express passes valid for Sept 20-29 and Oct 1-5, and Universal Express Unlimited passes valid for Sept 20-Nov 8 have all sold out.

Data from Qunar showed over 80 percent of ticket buyers purchased two or more standard tickets, and more than 30 percent bought children's tickets.

One-day dated tickets to the theme park follow a four-tier pricing structure -- 418 yuan, 528 yuan, 638 yuan and 748 yuan -- based on the popularity of the dates.

Located in Beijing's Tongzhou district, the Universal Beijing Resort is the fifth Universal Studios theme park globally, the third in Asia and the first in China. It is so far the largest worldwide, covering four square kilometers, with seven themed "lands," and 37 recreational facilities and themed attractions.

Tourists without a ticket are allowed to visit the Universal CityWalk, where 21 restaurants, seven theme retail outlets and mobile vending cars, as well as a cinema and live shows await them.