Thai govt urged to build attractions

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Thai govt urged to build attractions 
Bangkok Post: 19 Aug 2010
Government urged to build attractions

Safari World Plc, the operator of Safari World and Phuket FantaSea tourist attractions, has urged the government to develop big attractions that can compete with Disneyland in Hong Kong and Universal Studios in Singapore.

Litti Kewkacha, executive vice president of Safari World Plc, feeds one of the 100 rare deer at Nyala Farm, one of three new attractions recently opened at Safari World in Bangkok. The company has invested more than 100 million baht in the projects in anticipation of a recovery in tourism.

Litti Kewkacha, the company's executive vice-present for marketing and business development, said Thailand was famous for its natural tourist attractions but lacks man-made theme parks that draw visitors.

"The government should seriously push for a mega-attraction like Disneyland or Universal Studios. It will benefit the whole economy, from airlines, hotels, tour agents, and restaurants to Mice visitors," he said.

A mega-attraction would require a massive budget of 10 billion baht and create tens of thousands of jobs.

Mr Litti said Asian countries that compete with Thailand for tourists have or will have mega-attractions. For example, Hong Kong has Disneyland and Singapore has Sentosa and Universal Studios. China will soon have a Disneyland and South Korea will soon open a Universal Studios park.

Singapore recorded first-half GDP growth of 18.1% after the state opened two mega-theme parks and casinos recently.

The government could provide tax incentives to co-investors in a project, he added.

He also welcomed the Democrat-led government's effort to lure Thais to travel more inside the country in a bid to solve the tourism slump. Moreover, the government's "learning beyond the classroom" excursion, which provides each student 300-450 baht for a field trip, has contributed greatly to rising visitors at theme parks and zoos, including Safari World.

Safari posted a consolidated net profit of 1.66 billion baht in the second quarter of this year, compared to a loss of 76.36 million baht in the same period last year, on revenue of 82.19 million baht, down 13.9%.

The company had operating losses of 15.87 million baht but it booked gains from debt restructuring totaling 1.86 billion baht in the quarter. During the six-month period, it recorded a net profit of 1.68 billion baht, compared to a loss of 140.7 million in the same period last year. Its first-half revenue totalled 631.99 million baht, up 21.2%.

Mr Litti said Safari World recently invested over 100 million baht in three new attractions at Safari World: White World, Nyala Farm and River Safari. The last is an Amazon River thrill ride, created by the makers of numerous rides in Disneyland and Universal Studios, while White World is the world's first collection of rare white tigers, white lions and white polar bears in the same exhibit.

All three attractions are performing test runs at present and will be fully operational soon.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/191772/government-urged-to-build-attractions