NEWS: Siam Park City looks to expansion opportunities

[jedimaster1227]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/31386/siam-park-weighs-expansion

 

The operator of Siam Park is weighing two big choices: to spend 500 million baht expanding its water park or to stick with its original plan to develop a lifestyle complex costing 3-6 billion baht. ''We have to choose one way or another in order to draw new customer groups as well as increase the frequency that our existing customers visit,'' said Wuthichai Luangamornlert, managing director of Amornphant Nakorn-Siam Park Co. Customers currently visit the water park about 3.5 times per year and the amusement park about 1.2 times.

 

Siam Park has been a water and amusement park for three decades. But the company now wants to attract more teenagers. In collaboration with White Water, a Canadian amusement equip ment maker, it has studied a plan to add 20 rai to its 70-rai water park. But the company is also considering a previous plan to develop City Walk, a lifestyle shopping complex covering more than 100,000 square metres between Siam Park's entrance and its car park. The company's research found that many customers go shopping after enjoying leisure activities at Siam Park.

 

The City Walk concept was developed by Forrec, the design firm behind the master plan for amusement parks such as Universal Studios and Disneyland. If the project goes ahead, construction will start by the end of next year or in early 2012 and take about two years. City Walk would have six multiplex cinemas, a fitness centre, 24 bowling lanes, a spa and health centres as well as international and local restaurant chains.

 

Pending a decision on the new project, the company will continue to install new rides and attractions this year. The 600-million-baht Log Flume from the Germany-based Mack will go into service next March. The company will celebrate its 30th anniversary in March with more activities and shows, said Mr Wuthichai. In early March the company will also introduce new opening hours of 1 pm to 9 pm, a shift from the current 10 am to 6 pm.

 

The company will finish adding 16 pieces of equipment costing 3 billion baht at the park by next summer before shifting its focus to either extending the water park or developing City Walk.

 

Expansion will be funded by Siam Park operations and bank loans as well as by a planned listing on the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

 

Mr Wuthichai expects park visitors this year to increase by more than 30% from 1.5 million last year to 2 million.

 

Sales at Siam Park were 300-400 million baht last year and are projected to reach 600-700 million this year.

[PKI Jizzman]

An expensive Mack log flume? That should be awesome! I can't wait to see how well themed this will be. I wouldn't expect anything less than the other rides. If it has that much effort put into it with a decent layout....this could be competing with the best of the best!

 

Looking forward to the opening..

[RCFreak]

600 million baht = 18.1596 million US dollars, a decent amount for a nice log flume.

[packfanlv]

The area for the log flume is huge. They had just torn down the old log flume where the person was killed when we were there.

 

As for the "water park", it isn't much more than a couple of slides and pools. They have a lazy river, wave pool, a racing slide and an old slide complex with two of the four slides closed off.

 

The park has a huge amount of room on that side to build whatever they want. I think they can definitely make it a full size water park and continue to grow for some time. As for right now though, Dream World is a much more complete amusement park so they need to continue to add to the rides side as well.

The only other slides are these incredibly fast and scary racing slides. I have never been so out of control on a slide in my life! With so much room they can add quite a bit here.

The old almost collapsing slide tower where two of the slides were closed and looked to have holes in them.

The water park's wave pool.

This was the area that held the old log flume and I assuming where the new one will go.