Head’s up kids and the young at heart — the following theme parks will make their debut in the next two years

Planet J, Macau
By Raini Hamdi

Opening date & location Opening this summer, Planet J is located in Sands Cotai Central, Macau.

Target Asian markets China, Taiwan and South-east Asia.

USPs Ever imagined playing a RPG online game physically? Planet J is the world’s first player-centric Live-Action-Role-Play theme park.

“At Planet J you won’t find a roller coaster, but out-of-the-world role-playing games, where players can physically act out the actions of fantasy characters, pursue goals and interact with other adventurers between realistic and virtual settings,” explained a spokesperson.

Connecting the players with the park is a mobile device called Magic Scroll, a personalised mobile gear that connects to over 200 whimsical games. Blending state-of-the-art technology and experiential storytelling, it will take players into a total immersive experience, from exhilarating quests for individuals to dazzling group challenges.

Pricing strategy Price packages range from HK$500 (US$65) to HK$1,000, depending on the number of people sharing one magic scroll. Packages include individual passes – i.e. one person entering the park with a magic scroll – or group passes, e.g. two to three players come as a team and share a scroll.

Shanghai Disney Resort
By Paige Lee Pei Qi

Opening date & location Opening in spring 2016 in Pudong, Shanghai.

Target Asian markets China in particular, plus Asia.

USPs Shanghai Disney Resort will be a world-class family vacation destination that combines classic Disney characters and storytelling with the uniqueness and beauty of China.

The resort’s vision is to build an “authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese” destination with unique architectural features. It also targets to provide unique content and experience to mainland Chinese visitors and international guests by introducing Chinese elements in various aspects like festivities, dining and entertainment.

Pricing strategy To be confirmed.

Movie Animation Park Studios, Perak
By S Puvaneswary 

Opening date & location Opening mid-2016 in Perak, Malaysia, Movie Animation Park Studios (MAPS) will be located along the North-South Expressway and a 20-minute drive from Ipoh city.

Target Asian markets Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China and India.

USPs Poised to be Asia’s first animation theme park, MAPS will be one of the most unique and exciting projects underway in the leisure tourism landscape in Malaysia, according to Darren McLean, co-founder and CEO of MAPS.

There will be more than 40 attractions in six themed zones. Highlights include a car and bike live stunt show, DreamWorks Animation Adventure Zone featuring themed attractions such as Mr Peabody & Sherman, The Croods and Casper The Friendly Ghost; South-east Asia’s first Smurfs live animation attraction; and the world’s first BoBoiBoy animation attraction.

Pricing strategy To be revealed by end 2015.

credit-Resorts-World-Genting

20th Century Fox World, Malaysia
By S Puvaneswary 

Opening date & location Opening by end-2016 as part of Resorts World Genting.

Target Asian markets South-east Asia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and India.

USPs Chow Wei Heng, vice president of marketing, Resorts World Genting, said: “This will be the world’s first 20th Century Fox World theme park. We are bringing the rich heritage of 20th Century Fox movies and television from the screen to be experienced on the ground.

“We cover a wide range of entertainment of family-themed attractions like Ice Age, sci-fi films such as Alien vs Predator and global blockbusters like Night at the Museum.”

Pricing strategy To be confirmed.

Shanghai Haichang Polar Ocean Park
By Prudence Lui 

Opening date & location Scheduled to commence operation in 2017, it will be situated on the north-western side of Dishui Lake in Shanghai. The park is a 30-minute drive from Pudong International Airport and an hour’s drive from downtown Shanghai.

Target Asian markets East Asia.

USPs Haichang Holdings aims to create a world-class marine park with the largest number of marine species on exhibition. It also seeks to display the animals innovatively while providing entertainment through marine animal shows, in addition to having a diverse range of science-themed educational programmes.

Pricing strategy To be confirmed.

IMG Worlds of Adventure, Dubai
By Feizal Samath

Opening date & location Opening end-2015 on Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road.

Target Asian markets The Asian market as a whole, in line with the Dubai Corporation of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s global strategy.

USPs According to Lennard Otto, general manager, IMG Worlds of Adventure: “As the world’s largest indoor temperature-controlled theme park at 140,000m2, we will offer guests a year-round attraction that is insulated from the Gulf’s typically very hot and humid summer months.

“Partnerships with globally renowned brands such as Marvel and Cartoon Network will result in a unique mix of exciting themed rides and attractions catering to a wide range of ages and nationalities.”

Pricing strategy Prices will be revealed closer to the opening date.

Dubai Parks & Resorts
By Feizal Samath

Opening date & location October 2016. The 232ha destination is located on Sheikh Zayed Road close to the Palm Jebel Ali.

Target Asian markets China, Hong Kong, India and South-east Asia.

USPs Vinit Shah, chief destination management officer, said: “Dubai Parks & Resorts will comprise three separate theme parks: Motiongate Dubai, a Hollywood-inspired theme park concept; Legoland Dubai, the first Legoland theme park in the Middle East; and Bollywood Parks Dubai, a first-of-its-kind entertainment destination that will showcase the Bollywood movie experience.”

The multi-themed complex will also feature Lapita Hotel, a Polynesian-themed hotel operated by the Marriott Group, and Riverland Dubai, a waterfront entertainment, retail and dining destination connecting the theme parks.

Pricing strategy The theme parks will adopt an entrance-fee approach where the majority of the rides and attractions will be free. Entrance to Riverland Dubai will be free of charge.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, August 7, 2015 issue, on page 18. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Additional reporting from Paige Lee Pei Qi, S Puvaneswary, Prudence Lui, and Feizal Samath

India’s new online visa facility has won plaudits from tourists, but the trade wants the scheme to be further refined and properly marketed to achieve greater results

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi is among the airports in India to be implemented with the e-Tourist Visa facility

India’s new e-Tourist Visa (eTV) facility, which enables visitors to arrive at nine Indian airports after applying for the visa online, has fallen short of the expectations to raise international tourist arrivals to the country.

Launched on November 27 last year for citizens of 43 countries – including the US, Germany, Australia, Japan and 
Singapore – the eTV scheme was recently extended to China, Macau and Hong Kong, widening the programme to 76 countries.

“We could have recorded significant international tourist arrivals if the facility was extended to major traffic generating countries like the UK, Italy, Spain and Sweden,” said Subhash Goyal, president, Indian Association of Tour Operators.

“Also, the eTV is valid with one entry, this facility does not provide double- or multi-entry visa. Most tourists who visit India like to add neighbouring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan to the itinerary; they do not take India-only holiday packages. We have been pleading since its introduction to have a double-entry visa,” he added.

Added Simone Wan, CEO and managing director, StayWell Hospitality Group: “Traditionally, getting a business visa for India is a difficult process but the Indian government has taken a step in the right direction with the eTV. However, there is a need to educate travellers and overseas tour operators that such a scheme exists.”

Arun Anand, managing director of Midtown Travels, agreed: “It is also important that the ministry of tourism creates awareness in countries which have been extended the scheme, instead of just adding more countries.”

According to India’s ministry of tourism, a total of 110,657 tourists arrived on the eTV from January to May 2015, up 1,024.4 per cent from 9,841 during the same period last year. However, this growth may be attributed to the introduction of the eTV for 76 countries, compared with the visa-on-arrival scheme that was extended to 12 countries.

Anand said: “The best way to gauge the success of the eTV is to compare total tourist arrivals from the markets that have been provided with the facility to the number of tourists arriving from these markets on eTVs.”

About 2.8 million foreign tourists visited India between January and April 2015, a mere increase of 2.7 per cent from the previous year, according to statistics from India’s Ministry of Tourism (MOT). Foreign tourist arrivals in May 2015 was about 500,000, a growth of 9.2 per cent year-on-year.

“Since the facility was launched at the end of the last year, we have to give it some time before its success can be measured,” urged Lalit Panwar, secretary of MOT.

Despite the lukewarm response from the trade, some tour operators have seen a spike in growth since the facility was introduced last year, enabling them to tap segments like luxury and weekend travellers.

“The eTV has allowed for spontaneous travel decisions. The difficult visa regime in the past resulted in many international tourists opting for other destinations,” said Amal Purandare, head India operations, Arzoo.com. “Its real success can only be gauged in the coming years when there is a significant increase in international tourist arrivals.”

Prashant Narayan, COO and head leisure travel inbound business, Thomas Cook India, said: “With the new government’s pro-tourism intent and introduction of eTV, India has been placed on the tourist radar for both the leisure and MICE segments. (We) have seen 10 to 12 per cent year-on-year growth in booking for inbound tourism.”

This article was first published in TTG Asia, August 7, 2015 issue, on page 23. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.