Disneyland Shanghai, set to launch on 16 June, has already welcomed nearly one million visitors to the park even before officially opening its doors.

Since the park opened its subway stop on 26 April, more than 960,000 people have travelled to the non-ticketed areas of the park, such as its lake and selection of retail offerings.

Liu Zhengyi, deputy director of the administrative commission of the planning zone where the Disney resort is located, said at a park briefing on 2 June that about 110,000 people visited the park over the 1 May bank holiday weekend alone.

The US$5.5bn (€5bn, £3.8bn) Disneyland Shanghai theme park and resort – the largest foreign investment ever made by Disney – will feature its highest castle, two hotels and six themed lands: Adventure Isle, Gardens of Imagination, Mickey Avenue, Tomorrowland, Treasure Cove and Fantasyland.

The Chinese government has done its best to welcome the attraction to Shanghai in recent months, granting a special trademark to crackdown on unauthorised and counterfeit Disney properties, while also shutting down more than 150 industrial sites heavily polluting the atmosphere near the park. The government has also introduced a tourism zone, new agriculture, public services and eco-friendly sectors around the park site.

The Wanda Group has been less welcoming, with its chair warning Disney that “one tiger is no match for a pack of wolves”, as he aims for his company to become the most powerful tourism entity in the world.