DEVELOPMENT PIPELINE: THEME PARKS PHOTO: © SIX FLAGS
Wonderla Chennal, Tamil Nadu, India Opening: Q4 2018 India’s largest theme park operator Wonderla Holidays has started work on a fourth park in Chennai. The RS3bn (US$45.9m, €41.4m, £29.4m) development will cover 222,500sq m (2.4m sq ft) with 45 land and water rides for the signature park, which would be the largest in south India. The state-of-the-art attraction will introduce a number of firsts for Indian theme parks, with a virtual reality safari experience and a reverse looping rollercoaster among the new cutting-edge technologies. ■■ http://lei.sr?a=k2q9E
Six Flags and Riverside Group have broken ground on the multi-billion dollar development
Universal Studios Japan Osaka, Japan
Six Flags Haiyan, China Opening: 2019 Chinese real estate development firm Riverside Investment Group (RIG) has broken ground on a US$4.6bn (€4.2bn, £3.2bn) development, which will include Asia’s first Six Flags-branded theme park. RIG – which currently has more than US$3.5bn (€3.2bn, £2.5bn) in assets under management – is partnering with Six Flags on the mixed-use development south of Shanghai. Once complete Six Flags will act as the centrepiece of the resort. Specific attractions for the park have not yet been announced, but it has been confirmed a number of record-breaking www.attractionshandbook.com
coasters will be included, along with thrill experiences, live shows and more. “Six Flags is synonymous with innovation and thrills for all ages, and we are delighted to partner with the Riverside Group to bring Six Flags thrills to China,” said John Odum, president of Six Flags International Development Company. “The Six Flags park in Haiyan will be a spectacular park featuring our signature lineup of coasters, family rides and attractions and world-class shows – along with themed sections of the park that pay homage to the storied Chinese culture.” The first piece of the development is a US$36m (€33m, £25.4m) exhibition centre, scheduled to be completed by Q4 2016, with the theme park opening in 2019. ■■ http://lei.sr?a=F1I3z
Opening: 2020 Universal Studios has revealed plans for a Mario-themed zone at its theme park in Japan. This marks Universal’s first installation of a Nintendo IP land since it secured exclusive theme park rights to the IPs last year. The Mario-themed expansion at Universal Studios Japan will be an immersive experience, similar in style to the hugely successful Harry Potter attractions. It will take four years to develop at a cost of US$350m (€319.5m, £247m), with the opening timed to coincide with the 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games, which are to be hosted in Tokyo. ■■ http://lei.sr?a=r4V0a ATTRACTIONS HANDBOOK 2016-2017
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