Does Arkhangelsk Need 'Cheburland'? Ex-Mayor Weighs In
Alexander Donskoy has a history of making controversial public proposals.
In late January, Federation Council Committee on Culture member Airat Gibatdinov proposed opening amusement parks similar to Disneyland, including in Russian regions. Gibatdinov suggested calling them «Cheburland.» Former Arkhangelsk mayor Alexander Donskoy, who has worked in the entertainment business for many years, called the idea «very good.»
«I would buy a franchise for such a park. The project has great potential not only from ticket sales for attractions but also from merchandise: T-shirts, toys, souvenirs, as well as themed cafes and other formats. This park could become one of the most successful projects in family entertainment. The film is breaking all box office records, and that»s exactly how the Disney empire once started, with one strong character, Mickey Mouse, around which a whole business empire was built,« Alexander Donskoy told 29.RU.
According to the former mayor, many modern theme parks work on the same principle. Cheburashka is one of the most popular and recognizable family characters.
«If we consider the Arkhangelsk region, then it makes sense to open in Arkhangelsk as the main city of the region. There is potential due to the agglomeration: Arkhangelsk, Severodvinsk, Novodvinsk – this is enough for a good, quality park of medium scale. But cities like Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, that is, tourist cities with millions of people, can already support parks at the level of a full-fledged Disneyland,» said Donskoy.
According to the former mayor, domestic tourism is now well developed, and at the same time there is a huge demand for patriotic content.
The former mayor of Arkhangelsk is known for his outrageous ideas. He proposed renaming Arkhangelsk to Putingrad and relocating some residents to other regions, came up with a new coat of arms for Arkhangelsk, asked for sketches of a funny tombstone for himself, and thought of what to replace «Coca-Cola» with. He also starred in the film «Brother 3.»
Earlier, Donskoy told 29.RU about what problems existed in Arkhangelsk«s housing and utilities sector 20 years ago.
