WATERPARKS
THAILAND MAKES A SPLASH T 48
hailand’s shaken off its image as a destination exclusively for partying backpackers, and developed into a more sophisticated travel option. The tourism industry is
maturing and it’s now a more family- friendly vacation. Western backpackers who fell in love with Thailand years ago are returning with their families in tow, yet they make up just a fraction of its visitors. The rise of budget airlines in the
region makes it easier for Asian tourists to travel, and an adventurous young generation of holidaymakers from countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia is discovering the delights of the Land of Smiles. Southeast Asia’s expanding middle class has disposable income to travel in the region and Thailand is affordable and safe. As visa requirements relax this year within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), movement will only increase. With high tourism numbers and an
enthusiastic domestic market, Thailand is a prime example of a location where the waterpark industry is aiming for growth. Tourism will increase further with the opening of the ASEAN common market – the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) – later this year. In 2015, the ASEAN regional common visa – similar to the EU’s Schengen visa system – is scheduled to be fully implemented for its 10 member states and research suggests that could generate between 6 million
The waterpark industry has taken off in many parts of Southeast Asia, and
the potential for growth is huge. Thailand is a prime
example of a country that’s beginning to fi nd its feet
Alice Davis, managing editor, Attractions Management
and 10 million extra visitors by 2016. Talk of an ASEAN single-visa for non-ASEAN citizens has also been tabled as an idea that would encourage foreigners to travel more widely in Southeast Asia. “Tourists to Thailand have diversifi ed
so much and once the AEC is formally introduced we’re all going to be part of a common market with a regional common visa. That’s almost a billion people,” says Liakat Dhanji, chairman of developer Amazone Falls, who opened a Cartoon Network-themed waterpark in Thailand. “There’ll be a big increase in tourists; and the vast majority of growth over the next fi ve years will be from Asia-Pacifi c.”
WATERPARK REVOLUTION The Chinese contingent can’t be forgotten either – Thailand’s biggest tourist group by origin, with almost 7.5 million Chinese visiting in 2013, and that’s only the start. Thailand waived visa fees for Chinese
Adventure Time character Jake is one of the rides at Cartoon Network Amazone
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tourists for three months in 2014, and Beijing has repeatedly asked the Thai government to negotiate mutual visa- free privileges for Thais and Chinese. “There’ll be even more Chinese tourists. It’s a huge market that’s just starting to go overseas,” Dhanji says. Thailand – like other countries in Asia – has experienced problems in the past with its waterparks, too many of them built to poor standards and with questionable safety records. This is often due to inexperience in operations, lack of investment, inadequate build and
AM 1 2015 ©Cybertrek 2015
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