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< Previous8 Funworld | MAY/JUNE 2022 | IAAPA.org/Funworld IAAPA Mission: We inspire, grow, and protect the global attractions industry through member connections. ® Does anyone remember going to accounting class and learning about FIFO, LIFO, FILO…? Some things you learn at school just always stick. Unfortunately, the “First In, Last Out” concept was clearly applied to COVID-19 in the Asia-Pacific region. While the world begins its path to economic recovery, more conservative countries and regions in Asia-Pacific continue to tread carefully and slowly out of the pandemic world. The world out of the pandemic hasn’t proven to be easier, with many political instabilities globally. As concerning as all this is, we see the humanitarian side and see the ability for people to look past barriers of politics, religion, race, and demographics to support each other in all times of need. As an association executive, the most heartwarming part of my work is to see our members (friends) become associated with each other, extend support, and provide help despite being competitors. As possibly the last region on its road to recovery from the pandemic, it’s important to see the silver lining in it all. We have the chance to learn and improve from the experiences of other regions and to use that learning well. Having the ability to experience this era together with so many cherished members is something you just can’t measure. There’s no turning back now, and we can only move onward. Congrats to all those who have made it this far, and we’re looking forward to being part of your celebrations of success. Here’s to better tomorrows. June Ko IAAPA Asia Pacific Vice President and Executive Director The Road to Recovery Continues Letter from IAAPA DEAR IAAPA MEMBERS:www.neveplast.it YOUR TUBING SOLUTION MORE THAN 2100 INSTALLATIONS WORLDWIDE neveplast artificial snow funIAAPA.org/Funworld | MAY/JUNE 2022 | Funworld 11 Launch AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS OF BEING GRIPPED BY COVID-19, Southeast Asia has some good news to be excited about with the opening of Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park in Pahang, Malaysia. The impressive, long-awaited RM3.3 billion project is part of the Resorts World Genting integrated resort. Though Genting SkyWorlds is compact, covering 26 acres, a very efficient use of space allowed 26 rides and attractions to be featured in nine distinctly themed areas, plus numerous restaurants, food stands, and retail shops. “We have rides placed strategically throughout the park to maximize the space, including some rides on top of each other,” says Greg Pearn, vice president, head – theme park operations, Resorts World Genting. “It really is a very clever and ambitious architectural masterpiece that has significant potential to be developed further.” The park’s nine themed lands include Andromeda Base, Central Park, Eagle Mountain, Epic, Ice Age, Liberty Lane, Rio, Robots Rivet Town, and Studio Plaza. Genting SkyWorlds features four roller coasters; four immersive dark rides, including three trackless systems; a boat ride with a 9-meter drop; carousels; triple-spinner teacups; a zip coaster; a flying theater; a combo tower; and a ropes course. All rides are extensively themed within their respective lands. Genting SkyWorlds Brings Cinema- Based Attractions to Malaysia by Keith Miller DEBUT c GENTING SKYWORLDS Genting SkyWorlds brings 26 rides and attractions across nine themed lands to Malaysia.LAUNCH 12 Funworld | MAY/JUNE 2022 | IAAPA.org/Funworld Studio Plaza is the park’s art deco- inspired grand entrance that pays homage to cinema, with famous movie characters displayed at the 360-degree “Legends Cinema” and on a 180-degree digital media wall designed to build excitement as guests make their way into the theme park. Creative dining and retail locations also invigorate this area. Journeying on into the park from Studio Plaza, thrill-seeking guests may dare to venture into the California desert- themed Eagle Mountain, home to the park’s signature attraction, “Mad Ramp Peak – Full Throttle Racing.” At this time, final work continues on the ride, and it will be ready soon. When it debuts, it should be a rousing experience for Genting SkyWorlds guests. “This is the prototype of Dynamic Attractions’ Synergy Coaster,” says Pearn. “Originally concep- tualized around the ‘Sons of Anarchy’ franchise, the IP (intellectual property) was redeveloped many years ago, and now we’ve taken it to another level with a localized story we know will appeal to the large biker demographic here in Malaysia.” Pearn tells Funworld it’s a sophisti- cated attraction, utilizing a mixture of technologies. Guests will ride motorcycles in groups of six. Using a combination of an onboard drive system and track- mounted linear synchronous motors (LSMs), they’ll experience an adventure Debut through a California mountainscape, featuring tight ravines and impressive scenery, before the ride culminates in a side-by-side, high-speed finale, complete with a launch. Onboard audio and special effects round out this family-thrill experience. Genting SkyWorlds’ Central Park serves as its piazza—an inviting village square of sorts. Its main element is the Lake of Dreams, with picturesque fountain shows scheduled all day long. But Central Park also features some top-shelf attractions like “Night at the Museum: Midnight Mayhem,” which is a lively 3D interactive ride, and “Independence Day: Defiance,” a 4D adventure where riders help defend Earth from an invasion of aliens. Andromeda Base’s top attractions are “Boot Camp Training”—an obstacle course designed to test the most agile guests—and “Alpha Fighter Pilots”—a thrilling space-battle sim- ulation. Genting SkyWorlds says the popularity of Andromeda Base has it discussing possible future commitments from other IP partners. Genting SkyWorlds offers attractions provided by various suppliers, including Oceaneering, Dynamic Attractions, Zamperla, S&S – Sansei Technologies, Technical Park, ABC Rides, Zierer, Setpoint, and Chance Rides. Pearn says the attraction range is predominantly family-friendly, with some thrill rides included for good measure. There are three prototype attractions—two from Dynamic Attractions and one from S&S – Sansei Technologies—which he says are proving to be a real hit with guests. The park has a phased opening plan and will launch attrac- tions throughout 2022 and into 2024, when it hopes to debut a prototype SFX coaster. Pearn says there are also plans for a large indoor development space within the park, plus themed events, extended operating hours, and more content that connects the park with the wider resort offerings. gentingskyworlds.com ABOVE RIGHT: “Alpha Fighter Pilots” is one of the new rides in Genting SkyWorlds’ Andromeda Base area. BELOW: Studio Plaza welcomes guests to the park. GENTING SKYWORLDS GENTING SKYWORLDSDUELING PIPELINE Experience new levels of competitive water ride racing Patented RallyPOINTs allows riders to get closer than ever Strategically designed ride path enhances the race Efficient operations with NEW Dueling Start Copyright © 2021 ProSlide Technology Inc. All rights reserved. ProSlide, the ProSlide logo and any other marks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of ProSlide Technology Inc. in Canada, the United States of America and any other countries. TRANSFORMING WATER PARKS PROSLIDE.COM14 by Michael Switow Asia-Pacific LAUNCH Funworld | MAY/JUNE 2022 | IAAPA.org/Funworld A boogie boarder prepares to ride the waves in a new AU$14.3 million pool at the Aquatopia Water Park in Fairfield City, Australia, outside Sydney. The pool, designed by New York’s Aquatic Development Group (ADG) and built by Swimplex Aquatics, uses a WaveTek OceanSwell pneumatic wave system and has three distinct applications: waves for beginner surfers, boogie boarders, and general recreation. “Not having our wave technicians on-site due to COVID restrictions was a challenge to overcome for sure,” says ADG Business Development Manager Lew Wemple. “We spent long nights working from New York with the team in Australia to ensure that all systems were up and working smoothly so that the pool would be ready for opening day.” An even bigger challenge faced by ADG and Swimplex was to design and build a multiprogrammable wave pool within a compact footprint of only 40 meters in length. Space also needed to be set aside within the pool for swimming lessons. To meet Fairfield City’s needs, ADG enhanced its Breaker Beach boogie boarding pool to enable operators to easily tailor wave intervals for each activity. fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/News/Waves-Roll-in-to-Fairfield- City, aquaticgroup.com, swimplex.com.au Small Footprint, Big Waves LEGACY ENTERTAINMENT Legacy Entertainment Bringing Hollywood Magic to Indonesia’s PIK 2 Indonesia is building a brand-new city, about the size of San Francisco, from scratch. Pantai Indah Kapuk 2, more commonly known as PIK 2, is set along 4 kilometers of white sand beaches, about 10 to 20 minutes east of Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The city is being developed by the Agung Sedayu Group (AGS) and is part of a master plan to alleviate pressure on Jakarta. To attract locals and tourists to PIK 2, AGS has engaged Hollywood-based Legacy Entertainment to oversee the design and creation of three next-generation destinations. The first—a 15,000-square-meter over-water retail, dining, and entertainment village called Batavia PIK—will open late this year. Inspired by Tahitian and Maldivian bungalows, Batavia PIK will feature 40 restaurants, set on pylons over the water, as well as floating stages. PIK 2’s second phase includes a mile-long, resort beach development with a water park and science center, while the third phase will feature “Asia’s first food theme park.” agungsedayu.com, legacyentertainment.com C A S S A N D R A H A N N AGAN16 by Juliana Gilling LAUNCH Europe, Middle East, Africa Funworld | MAY/JUNE 2022 | IAAPA.org/Funworld In summer 2022, the first of Merlin Entertainments’ next- generation Lego Discovery Centres will debut in Brussels, Belgium. The development continues the successful partnership between Merlin Entertainments and the Lego Group. At the new Lego Discovery Centre, children and their families can build a space rocket out of Lego bricks and then digitally scan their ship and fly it in the Lego Space solar system. There’s an interactive “Imagination Express” train ride where families can gather points as they travel through an oversized Lego World, into a giant bubble bath, and out into the Lego ocean and space. Preschoolers have a dedicated indoor play area with a dinosaur-themed carousel and slides. “We are delighted that our partnership with the Lego Group continues to deliver such fantastic opportunities for our guests,” says Justin Platt, Merlin’s chief strategy officer. Julia Goldin, chief product and marketing officer at the Lego Group, adds to this sentiment. “By creating this highly interactive indoor Lego experience, we will give families a place to play, explore, create, and have fun together,” she says. Merlin Entertainments continues to grow in the Netherlands, too. This spring, it launched a Peppa Pig World of Play at the Westfield Mall in Leidschendam, adding to a portfolio of Netherlands attractions, including Madame Tussauds Amsterdam, The Amsterdam Dungeon, and a Sea Life aquarium and Legoland Discovery Centre in Scheveningen. It is also managing This is Holland, an immersive 5D flying theater attraction in Amsterdam. merlinentertainments.biz Plopsa Group is following up its runaway hit, “The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland”—the Mack Rides Xtreme Spinning Coaster at Belgium’s Plopsaland De Panne—with another collaboration with the Tomorrowland electronic dance music festival. Plopsa will open a new Tomorrowland-themed area at Holiday Park in Haßloch, Germany, in 2024. It promises to be a spectacular replacement for the long-running water ski stunt show at Holiday Park’s aqua stadium and lake, which was decommissioned during the pandemic. The attraction aims to immerse guests in Tomorrowland’s festival atmosphere. “We are very proud to be able to expand our range of attractions in Germany together with Tomorrowland,” says Steve Van den Kerkhof, CEO of Plopsa Group. “With the expertise of our own designers and the creative minds of the Tomorrowland festival, we will create a next-level attraction and themed zone at Holiday Park.” Tomorrowland CEO Bruno Vanwelsenaers is enthusiastic about expanding the alliance. “We are very proud of this new cooperation,” he says. “Thanks to this partnership, a lot of people can get to know Tomorrowland, and we can continue to grow the experience.” Construction is scheduled to start this year on the 15-million-euro attraction. The project is in addition to a series of investments that Plopsa Group has already made in Holiday Park, totaling around 20 million euros. These have included Holiday Indoor, an indoor adventureland (2019), the freshly themed “DinoSplash” water ride (2020), and a Wickieland area based on the “Vic the Viking” (2021) TV series. Plopsa’s future plans for Holiday Park include a hotel and water park. holidaypark.de MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PLOPSA GROUP Plopsa Teams Up with Tomorrowland for Holiday Park Attraction Merlin Entertainments Expands European ExperiencesNext >