'Toy Story' park wows Japan as tourism rebounds

'Toy Story' park wows Japan as tourism rebounds

New Disney attraction opens to long lines, confirms predictions of busy summer ahead

Got Woody? Yup, the gang's all present and correct at Tokyo Disney Resort.

With the major players in Japan's summer vacation season in the blocks and ready for the annual hectic sprint toward fall, a group of unlikely leaders is off to a flier at Tokyo Disney Resort's new "Toy Story" attraction.

Woody, Buzz and a cast of thousands (maybe it just seems that way) from the movie series hit the track running July 9 at their new Toy Story Mania section of the park.

Opening-day crowds faced waits of up to 400 minutes -- getting on for seven hours -- to sample a range of rides and games aimed at patrons even younger than those the resort usually attracts.

Lines at the ¥11.5 billion (US$ 144 million) attraction did shrink to a mere three hours later in the day, though.

More on CNNGo: Tourism flatlines as visitors avoid Japan

The discomfort of waiting in line aside, the initial popularity of the new Disney draw is just one of many encouraging signs for the Japanese tourist business.

After a tough post-quake 2011, the number of day-trippers and overnighters willing to hit the country's two major theme parks appears to be rebounding.

Universal Studios Japan in Osaka says the second quarter of 2012 saw incoming visitors up 25 percent on a year earlier.

Tokyo Disney Resort -- it encompasses both DisneySea and Disneyland -- says June was a bumper month there too, with ticket sales equaling the previous record month of June 2010.

Heavy bookings

Meanwhile, the Nikkei newspaper [subscription link] reports summer prospects for the parks are rosy, thanks to advance bookings via travel agents that are as much as 60 percent up on 2011.

It quotes a spokesperson for the operator of the Disney resort as claiming its hotels are, "fully booked until the end of August."

With more than 20 million theme-park visits already logged in the first quarter of this year, that outlook can only mean a photo finish to determine Japan's podium-topping summer amusement spot.

More on CNNGo: Rebuilding Japan's tourist trade

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Finnair first flight from Helsinki to Chongqing - May 9, 2012

Finnair's first flight to Chongqing from Helsinki was a memorable one for both the crew and the passengers. Check out the video for a taste of how the first flight was celebrated. Finnair begins flying direct to Chongqing, one of the largest and fastest-growing cities in China. The new route is a logical next step in the carrier's strategy of offering the shortest connections between Asia and Europe via Helsinki. Finnair is the first carrier to open a direct flight route between Europe and Chongqing. Chinese companies and many Western companies, especially in the electronics, automotive and chemical industries, are currently expanding their operations in Chongqing, and business travel and cargo prospects are promising. Chongqing Airport also has already opened 140 routes to more than 80 cities in China and Asia, and the airport is undergoing expansion. When the expansion is complete in 2015, the airport will be capable of receiving 45 million passengers per year. Finnair is flying Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft on the route, which takes eight and a half hours. In addition to four flights per week to Chongqing, in China Finnair flies daily to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong from Helsinki, the most geographically logical transfer point for connecting with more than 50 destinations in Europe. This summer Finnair will operate 81 flights per week to 11 destinations in Asia.

Video Rating: 4 / 5