Siam Park City aims for a million foreign visitors in 2017
Siam Park City has laid down an ambitious goal to draw 1 million foreign tourists to the amusement and water park in five years, up fivefold from 200,000 this year.
“Our foreign visitors were recorded at only 60,000 in 2011 but they are on the rise after the company started promoting its park via international travel trade shows,” Wuthichai Luangamornlert, managing director of City Walk Co, the park’s operator, said yesterday.
Today, the park relies heavily on domestic visitors, whose attendance is seasonal. Business peaks during the semester break from March to May, with 20,000 people per day, but plummets to 2,000 per day during the regular period, he said.
If the park succeeds in attracting 200,000 foreign visitors this year, they will make up 10 per cent of its total admissions.
The firm tries to participate in 20 international travel shows annually, preferably in Asean and other Asian markets. Recently, Wuthichai was present for the second time at the Moscow Autumn Travel Industry Week, one of the world’s biggest trade fairs, where he claimed to get a big response from travel agents.
Russians, many of whom are family-oriented, are the biggest foreign group at Siam Park City, followed by Arabs, especially those on medical stays, and Hong Kong residents.
City Walk is looking for new markets, including Vietnam, Cambodia, India and Indonesia. Its competitive advantage is cheaper tickets. For only Bt900, park goers can enjoy unlimited rides, compared with Hong Kong Disneyland, which charges Bt1,800, and Universal Studios in Singapore, which costs Bt1,600-Bt1,700.
Siam Park City occupies 260 rai (41.5 hectares) of total land area of 360 rai, with the water park using 80 rai and the amusement park 180. This year, the firm has spent Bt200 million to renovate its water park.
The company is also studying developing the remaining 100 rai into an integrated centre for entertainment and conventions. Also, a 100-room theme-park hotel might be constructed to serve foreign tourists, who prefer to play at Siam Park for several days. However, a professional hotel chain would be found to manage it because it is not a business City Walk has specialised in, Wuthichai said.
