Harry Potter, Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse have found homes in Asia as the region’s growing middle class fuels a boom in theme park attractions. Will the burgeoning range of options boast theme park attendance or lead to consumer fatigue?
SINGAPORE By Paige Lee Pei Qi
Often a highlight in travel itineraries for Singaporeans, theme parks appeal to all age groups and families in particular, as they bring out the inner child in everyone and offer the experience of escaping into another world.
Moreover, the fun atmosphere in theme parks is itself a source of entertainment. The plethora of ride options also cater accordingly to an individual’s appetite for adventure, offering something for everyone.
Travel consultants will often design theme parks within the programmes, especially in destinations with Disneyland or Universal Studios like Japan and Hong Kong. The upcoming theme parks in Asia are expected to help consultants provide more variety in their itineraries and further boost interest into the destination.
Singaporean travellers typically do not mind paying the admission fees for theme parks, which is just a small additional charge compared with the cost of the entire holiday.
Theme parks across the world are constantly reinventing themselves by rolling out new attractions and capitalising on current trends to draw new and repeat travellers.
An example is the Frozen Ever After ride, which will debut at Walt Disney World in Orlando in 2016. Leveraging the popular animation film Frozen, this new attraction will feature a snow-filled boat ride that will take visitors straight into a winter wonderland.
The following people were interviewed for this article: Marshall Ooi, director, Nam Ho Travel; Clifford Neo, managing director, Dynasty Travel; Anthony Chan, group managing director, Chan Brothers Travel Singapore; Shannon Hee, marketing and communications manager, ASA Holidays; and Sylvia Tan, vice-president of marketing and public relations, CTC Travel
MALAYSIA By S Puvaneswary
As competition intensify in Asia, the use of iconic figures and movies such as Harry Potter, Transformers and Shrek in theme parks appeal to Malaysian travellers as they are able to identify with these characters.
While popular tourist magnets, theme parks are not the sole attraction for holidaymakers when picking a destination. Trade players believe that a destination’s overall offerings is more important than the theme park and that a new park built in an out-of-the way location without supporting tourism infrastructure will not attract Malaysians.
Outbound travel consultants in Malaysia also urge theme park operators overseas to provide training and marketing support for them to better promote and divert traffic to theme parks. To capture the interest of the Muslim market, consultants also need to know if there are halal-certified food outlets within the theme park.
As well, the consultants also agreed that the weak ringgit is currently putting a damper on outbound travel demand. Some industry members expect travel demand and visits to theme parks to continue falling until the ringgit strengthens.
On the other hand, as theme parks are still a draw for families with children below 15, such packages continue to sell well during school holidays.
The following people were interviewed for the article: Hamzah Rahmat, director, Bestar Travel Centre; Cooper Huang, CEO, Malaysian Harmony Tours & Travel Adam Kamal, CEO, Rakyat Travel; Abdul Rahman Mohamed, deputy general manager – channel management, Mayflower Acme Tours; and John Chan, business consultant, Kris International Traveltours
INDONESIA By Mimi Hudoyo
Theme parks are a big draw for Indonesian holidaymakers, especially among families with young children and teenagers. During school holidays, up to 90 per cent of travellers are families and the majority of them take up holiday packages inclusive of theme parks.
Many parents prioritise the interests of their children to visit theme parks during holidays; however, a theme park session is just one of the many activities in the travel package, which also include culinary experiences, shopping and sightseeing.
While entry fees to theme parks may be high, Indonesians are willing to pay for the experience, attracted by the rides, well-known characters and technology which offer them different experiences.
Furthermore, new theme parks in a destination or new attractions in an existing park offer the opportunity to attract travellers, both first-timers and repeats.
An example would be Universal Studio Japan’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – many Indonesian families are flocking to the park even though they may have visited the destination before, therefore highlighting the need for existing theme parks to constantly come up with new attractions.
Theme parks also have the potential to attract new travellers to a destination. Legoland in Johor Bahru, for example, has become a popular destination not only for travellers from Jakarta, but also other Indonesian cities like Surabaya, Bandung and Medan.
Likewise, Indonesian travel companies have started including Pattaya in family packages since the opening of Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark in the city.
The following people were interviewed for the article: Yongky Yanwintarko, managing director, Sun Tour Surabaya; Rery Sankyo, vice president leisure operations, Panorama Tours Indonesia; Dharmawan Rahardja, owner, Genta Tour Jakarta; Yento Chen, CEO, Destination Tour; and Yekti Suradji, president director, Kencana Tour
THE PHILIPPINES By Rosa Ocampo
As the Philippines still does not boast attractions the likes of Disneyland and Universal Studios, Filipino travellers still have to head overseas to get a dose of theme park fun.
Shopping and sightseeing are must-dos for Filipinos during their holidays overseas, with food, culture and theme parks also high up on the agenda, especially for families travelling with kids.
Filipino travellers are also willing to pay for entry to theme parks which they regard as “special”, even if the costs are high.
To remedy the issue of costly entrance fees for walk-in tourists, theme parks have partnered with travel agencies in the Philippines to offer special rates incorporated in the tour package price.
There are also special passes combining two or more theme parks, like Sanrio Hello Kitty Town and The Little Big Club in Johor Bahru or Universal Studios Japan and Tokyo’s Disneyland and DisneySea.
Visa rules also play a role in determining an attraction’s appeal. For instance, theme parks in Hong Kong and Singapore, which offer visa-free entry to Filipino visitors, are often deemed more accessible than those in Japan and South Korea.
For many Filipinos, however, the novelty of visiting a theme park is increasingly replaced by a been-there, done-that sentiment as the existing theme parks in Asia are perceived as offering similar rides and attractions.
A growing number of travellers are also opting for activities like adventure travel and destinations off the beaten track during their holidays.
The following people were interviewed for this article: Jaison Yang, general manager, Travel Warehouse; Simon Ang, managing director-operations, Celebrate Life Travel & Leisure; Kat Cruz, team leader, meetings and events, American Express Transnational; Arwin De Castro, outbound supervisor, Mango Tours; Arvill Masalta, assistant supervisor, Rajah Travel; and Kristine Mariano, sales and marketing supervisor, Amkor Travel and Tours
This article was first published in TTG Asia, August 7, 2015 issue, on page 16. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe
Additional reporting from S Puvaneswary, Mimi Hudoyo, and Rosa Ocampo
