More theme parks are setting up shop in Singapore, hoping to break into the children’s entertainment market here.
Apart from a Hello Kitty carnival held in October, two foreign operators are also establishing indoor theme parks in Singapore. Construction works are underway for an indoor edu-tainment centre, which is scheduled to open in April 2016 in Sentosa.
Originating from Mexico, KidZania Singapore lets children experience working life through role-playing activities.
In another theme park, children can enjoy storytelling activities with their favourite cartoon characters. Originating from Korea, the park is located at Marina Square Shopping Mall.
In its first month of operations, Pororo Park – a character-themed indoor edu-tainment playground – has welcomed more than 30,000 visitors.
However, analysts say the market share for such theme parks is small, due to a niche target audience and limited space. To attract repeat customers, operators will have to be innovative.
“According to our survey, more than 50 per cent of parents love to bring their kids to indoor playgrounds because of the weather in Singapore,” said Ms Janice Choo, the marketing manager for Pororo Park.
“It’s either very hot or it’s rainy, or during the haze period. So they would like to find a place where children can both play and learn at the same time. So we have classes and also do tie-ups with enrichment providers,” she added.
Foreign operators could also be setting up shop in Singapore to establish a name for themselves so they can branch out overseas, said Shirley Tee, a course manager for Hospitality & Tourism Management at Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Business Management.
Source : Channel NewsAsia – 25 Dec 2015