With Asia on track to be the world's largest theme park and tourism market, a range of new attractions are set to open this year, ranging from all new museums, theme parks and waterparks to additions to top performing facilities, Thibault Paquin of Celebrating Life looks at what the industry can expect.
Angkor Water Park, Cambodia
The country’s first international water park located in Phnom Penh will feature rides from Polin Waterpark and WhiteWater at a cost of US$55 million.
X Museum, China
Spearheaded by two collectors in their mid-twenties, X Museum, housed in a two-story building being renovated and transformed by studio TEMP, will have nearly 2,400 metre² of space spread across 10 galleries.
Smurfs Village, Shanghai, China
Shimao Group will be opening a brand-new Smurfs theme park (phase two of Shimao Dream City Theme Park) in Shanghai. One of the rides in the indoor Smurfs Village will be a Smurf themed GameChanger, completely developed and installed by Lagotronics Projects. Other rides include a Smurfs Berry roller coaster, an AR Gargamel attraction, climbing courses and a themed golf game.
Hainan Ocean Paradise, China
Located adjacent to the Mytikas Waterpark already open and modeled after SeaWorld, Hainan Ocean Paradise looks like it will finally open in 2020, some 10 years after it was first announced. It is no longer managed by Village Roadshow Theme Parks.
Ocean Flower Island, China
One of the most ambitious projects in China, this massive integrated resort developed by Evergrande Group on Hainan Island will feature a theme park (Fairyland), waterpark (Water Kingdom) and marine park. The theme park and water park are expected to open in October this year.
M+ museum, Hong Kong
The museum is set to be the centerpiece of Hong Kong's revamped cultural district, West Kowloon. If not delayed by the recent events in the city, the museum should open in 2020 and include three theaters, a public roof terrace, 1,580 metre² of space, a library, and multiple restaurants, among other attractions and amenities.
Bali Marine Park, Indonesia
The long-awaited second gate of Bali Safari Park will feature freshwater and seawater aquariums, rides and attractions, and a variety of quality educational animal shows the Taman Safari Group is renown for. The underwater dinner show will be one of the highlights of the park.
Super Nintendo World @ Universal Studios Japan
The highly anticipated Super Nintendo World will open at Universal Studios Japan in 2020. Visitors will enter through a warp tunnel to reach a video game world complete with Bowser’s fortress and Princess Peach’s castle. Two attractions have been confirmed for the first phase of construction: Super Mario Kart racing ride and Yoshi’s Adventure interactive dark ride.
Studio City Water Park, Macau
The US$100 million water park, which might be “one of the biggest” indoor water parks in Asia, will be the highlight of the second phase of Studio City.
teamLab SuperNature, Macau
Art collective teamLab, working with Sands Resorts Macao, are set to open a museum of immersive digital artworks based on the collective’s SuperNature concept, through which they create a world of interactive artworks aimed at blurring the boundaries between people’s bodies and art.
Genting Theme Park, Malaysia
Set to open towards the end of the year, the long-awaited former 20th Century Fox World and now Genting Theme Park will top up a massive renovation master plan aiming to bring over 30 million visitors annually to this unique highlands casino resort destination.
The US$700 million theme park will boast 20 rides mostly based on Fox IP’s, seven restaurants and 11 food kiosks.
Yangon Aquarium, Myanmar
Designed by Singapore company Surbana Jurong, this world-class aquarium will feature over 20 different tanks, including one with a walk-through tunnel. Its rooftop will boast great views of the Kandawgyi Gardens in the heart of the city.
Carnival Magic, Thailand
The 40-acre Carnival Magic theme park will be divided in four areas: Kingdom of Lights, Carnival Fun Fair, the 2,000-seat River Palace parade stadium and the 3,000-seat Bird of Paradise buffet restaurant. The Kingdom of Lights will boast more than 40 million lights that will illuminate a vibrant carnival-themed fair with street dancing, parades and rides.
The Sea Shell Aquarium, Vietnam
Designed by Legacy Entertainment, the turtle-shaped aquarium will be one of the most cutting-edge and innovative aquariums ever designed and part of the large Vinpearl Land integrated resort in Phu Quoc.
Cat Ba Cable Car, Vietnam
At 21 kilometre in length, Sun Group’s latest cable car will be the world’s longest, connecting the towns of Cat Hai and Cat Ba in Vietnam’s popular Halong Bay.
Images show concepts for the Angkor Water Park, Cambodia (top) and Super Nintendo World @ Universal Studios Japan (below).
About the author
Thibault Paquin
Chief Executive, Celebrating Life
Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thibault Paquin is Chief Executive of Celebrating Life - a total destination building company specialising in Asian markets Celebrating Life provides end-to-end solutions and advisory services for clients in travel, hospitality, retail, leisure and entertainment, undertaking research, feasibility studies, concepts development, IP selection and cultural and entertainment content management.
Educated in France and the United States, Paquin has over a decade of development experience in hospitality and leisure, beginning his career with Accor in Paris then Asia Pacific in their Sydney, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City offices before setting up Celebrating Life in Hong Kong in 2010.
A travel industry expert, a frequent speaker and columnist, he has worked on numerous tourism projects in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Mauritius.
Click here to connect with him via LinkedIn.
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