Malaysia riding on new themed attractions
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is poised to become the theme park capital of Asean as the country becomes home to more international-level theme parks which augur well for its economy.
Over 21 theme parks and water parks are expected by 2020 and this addition includes the world’s first Twentieth Century Fox Studios and a Ubisoft video game indoor theme park to make the market even merrier.
Sunway Theme Parks senior general manager Calvin Ho said the rise of many theme parks and attractions would also help to increase inbound tourists and contribute to a steady rise in local visitors. Last year, 49.4 million international arrivals were recorded which was seen as a boon for local theme park operators to help cushion the softer sentiment among domestic patrons.
“To be Southeast Asia’s theme park capital, it is something to be proud of as it is great for our economy and tourism sector to draw more tourists (local and international) into the country,” he told Bernama in an email.
Ho explained that the new indoor attractions would be more adapted to new trends including active play such as District 21, edutainment (KidZania, Petrosains, Aquaria, Entopia), lifestyledriven (The Top) and Internet Protocol-based ( Angry Birds Activity Park, Thomas Town, Sanrio Hello Kitty Town).
“I would say it is a healthy balance to have local operators around as tourists can visit one theme park during their stay this round, and another theme park during their future stays – which gives us the advantage of repeat visitors too,” he added.
Comparing Malaysia to its neighbours, the country is spearheading the list of international theme park set to operate soon while Indonesia opened Rabbit Town in January and Thailand launched its Ramayana theme park in 2016.
Malaysia, he added, had the advantage of strengthening its position as Asia’s preferred family holiday destination, especially with the lower cost to enter such theme parks in Malaysia compared with Europe or the US which make these internationally recognised parks more appealing to parents’ wallets.