US Six Flags to invest RM1.5bil in Iskandar theme park

US Six Flags to invest RM1.5bil in Iskandar theme park

NUSAJAYA: US-based theme park operator Six Flags Entertainment Corp is planning to invest between RM1.2bil and RM1.5bil to set up a theme park in Iskandar Malaysia.

Sources told StarBiz that the theme park, which will be double the size of Legoland Malaysia and the company’s first theme park in Asia, would offer more than 40 rides.

According to Wikipedia, Six Flags Entertainment is the world’s largest amusement part corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance.

The company maintains 19 properties throughout North America consisting of theme parks, thrills parks, water theme parks and family entertainment centres.

Iskandar Invesment Bhd (IIB) president and chief executive officer Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim, who spoke about Iskander Malaysia getting a theme park, which will be third in Iskandar Malaysia, said an announcement would be made by an investor within the next six months on the matter.

The other two theme parks are Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park.

“The new theme park caters to young adults unlike the existing two parks which are for children,” he told reporters yesterday after the ground-breaking ceremony of the RM250mil Raffles American School campus on an 18.21ha site at EduCity, offering pre-kindergarten to 12th grade education.

He declined to give more details when asked on the new theme park and its attractions, including whether it would be a water-theme park.

Syed Mohamed said the opening of Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour Theme Park last year had created a new level of confidence among domestic and foreign investors that Iskandar Malaysia was moving in the right direction.

“Different theme parks cater to different segments of visitors and this will be better than just having one park in our development,” he added.

The US$200mil Legoland Malaysia on a 23ha site, which is a joint venture between Merlin Entertainment Groups and IIB, is the first Legoland park in Asia.

Other Legoland theme parks across the world are situated in Denmark, the UK, Germany and in Florida and California.

Iskandar Malaysia is set to get its third theme park after Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park and Legoland Malaysia, says Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB).

Iskandar Malaysia is set to get its third theme park after Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park and Legoland Malaysia, says Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB).

IIB President and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim said the park’s investors will make an announcement in three to six months.

“The third theme park is oriented towards young adults and children,” he told reporters at the Raffles American School groundbreaking at Educity, Nusajaya here today, without disclosing the park’s location, construction cost or investors.

On Dec 27 last year, Bernama reported from Jakarta that Indonesian theme park developer PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol was planning to expand to Iskandar Malaysia.

According to its director Winarto, the company had been invited by the Malaysian government to open a theme park in Iskandar Malaysia and was scouting a suitable location.

The project would be in collaboration with the local authority with Khazanah Nasional as the intermediary, Winarto said, adding the park would be on a 50 ha. piece of land with construction expected to begin in 2013.

The RM750 million Legoland Malaysia, which opened on Sept 15, 2012, has attracted 250,000 visitors, and targets one million visitors in its first year of operations.

The RM110 million Puteri Harbour opened to the public in December last year and has attracted 55,000 visitors.