INTERVIEW
Future plans for Mamon’s family park include retail, dining, lodging, convention centre and waterpark
MY LONG-TERM VISION FOR ENCHANTED KINGDOM IS TO CONVERT IT FROM A STANDALONE THEME PARK INTO AN INTEGRATED DESTINATION RESORT PATTERNED AFTER THE DISNEY MODEL OF WHOLESOME LEISURE
How’s it being funded? Funding for our expansion project will be a combination of equity, loans, and possible partnerships/joint ventures with foreign groups that may be interested and who share a common vision with what we are setting out to do.
What will be the changes? At this point in time, it would be safe to say that we shall be redeveloping our existing park, but not before we increase the footprint by adding more themed areas and rides and attractions. We’re also adding retail, dining, and
entertainment experiences, lodging for the park, a convention facility to target the growing MICE market and further on, a waterpark with a hotel. Remaining areas that we have may host institutional and business process outsourcing (BPO) campuses, especially those related to the amusement and attractions industry, like animation and film.
What will be the star attractions? At this point in time, the expanded footprint of the theme park will include new zones, each with their signature ride and/or attraction. These zones may include a Philippine themed-zone for foreign tourists and locals; a themed zone for teens with high adrenaline rides; a signature fairy tale themed zone for
26
our main character, Eldar the Wizard; the new world-class regional convention centre with lodging facilities; and the new full-scale waterpark with rides and slides never seen in the local market before.
What’s your long-term vision? My long-term vision for Enchanted Kingdom is to be able to convert it from what it is now, a standalone theme park attraction, into an integrated destination resort patterned after the Disney model of wholesome leisure and entertainment for families, without a gaming component.
THE PHILIPPINES
How is life after the typhoon? The country’s slowly but steadily recovering from the super typhoon. Thanks in a very big way to the very positive response of the entire international community of nations, this coping and recovery process have been greatly accelerated and supported. Having seen the devastation as it was, it clearly is a long process, but we shall overcome it, maybe sooner than later.
How did the attractions industry respond to the disaster? Like in other industries, there was an outpouring of support and I learned
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
that big groups like Disney, Universal, and even Ocean Park in Hong Kong contributed to their favourite charities to channel their share. As for Enchanted Kingdom, we ran our own fundraising campaign for cash and goods, and even offered an operational day’s revenue to be donated to the cause. The responses were truly heartwarming, to say the least.
Was the park affected? Being in the main island of Luzon, we were not affected because we weren’t in the wider path of the super typhoon. Originally, we were on the fringe, but luckily for us, the path veered southward. We had no damage to facilities whatsoever. Indirectly, our holiday business was affected because some corporate bookings were postponed for another time or cancelled because the funds that were originally allocated for these were re-allocated to the various public and private relief efforts.
How long will it take for the industry to bounce back? If we’re referring to the amusement and attractions industry in the country, I think we have bounced back. There was a dip in November but we ended our December with the highest attendance and revenue figures in our 18-year history, and the same for January and February, 2014.
AM 2 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88