Shanghai Disneyland has announced a new "Real Name Ticketing Policy" as it looks to stop "illegal commercial activities" at the theme park.
The new policy will require visitors to present their government-issued ID to purchase and use an admission ticket to the park. Each person entering the park must provide that ID document, including children.
"For Mainland China children guests who have not yet obtained a PRC Resident ID Card, please continue to use acceptable ID Certificate (with both the ID number and photo) for purchasing a ticket and entering the park," Shanghai Disneyland said in the announcement posted on its website.
Shanghai Disneyland will announce the start date for the new policy later, though it said that it intends to have the policy in place by the end of the year.
"The introduction of the new policy stays true to Shanghai Disney Resort’s commitment in further enhancing guest experience and is consistent with other destinations across China," the park said. "It’s also part of the resort’s on-going efforts to work closely with relevant government authorities to crackdown on illegal commercial activities that bring significant damage to the resort’s reputation, business and normal operations."
Shanghai Disneyland is the only one of the 12 Disney theme parks worldwide that I have not visited in person, so I cannot attest to how its admission policy works in practice now. But I have heard that all visitors who are not Mainland China residents already have had to show their own government ID in order to enter the park, as noted on our ticket partner's authorized Shanghai Disneyland tickets page.
Online reports have detailed ticket scalping outside the park, as well as people selling bootleg merchandise inside the gates. Tying more tickets to verified IDs should help authorities better deter these activities, or to prosecute them if they continue. (Well, in theory, at least.)
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This appears to be yet another step in an attempt to crack down on influencers and unauthorized in-park activities. This can probably work in China, but is probably not something that would fly in the rest of the free world, though I wouldn't put it past some parks to try it. FYI, after the Six Flags/Cedar Fair merger was completed, the new company sent out a revised set of policies to past influencers and content providers that established some pretty strict and unprecedented rules on creating content within their parks.
When I attended the Hersheypark in the Dark event earlier this month, I noticed they had a new policy that prohibited the use of cameras with detachable lenses (i.e. SLRs) and lighting rigs unless approved and escorted at all times by park personnel. At first, I thought this was a way of protecting the content created by their in-house media team, but after some thought, I wouldn't be surprised that this was a direct policy to restrict or limit content from influencers, who typically use higher end equipment.
It is becoming a very strange world out there, and people are finding out ways to carve out a niche for themselves just about anywhere. I understand parks are only trying to protect their own interests with rules like this, but at some point we need to establish some standards and conventions that both parks and influencers/content creators can live with so we don't end up with what feels like a constant tug of war between access and censorship.