Enchanted Kingdom owner wants to expand theme park

The owner of Enchanted Kingdom, the country’s only theme park, will double the current size of the entertainment complex in Santa Rosa, Laguna over the next three to five years, expecting visitor arrivals to increase during the period.

The plan, which may also include the construction of hotels, will help transform Enchanted Kingdom into an integrated theme park, Cynthia Mamon, chief operating officer and wife of the park’s founder Mario, told reporters last week.

The 15-hectare Enchanted Kingdom, which opened in late 1995 just two years before the Asian financial crisis struck, has weathered growing competition from other amusement parks and attractions, and continues to post growth, she said.

Enchanted Kingdom breached the 2-million visitor mark in 2012, although Mamon declined to give comparative figures.

“We are doing the master plan for the expansion now. Plans should be made by this year and we should have at least one new major attraction by next year,” Mamon told reporters.

The hotel component, meanwhile, could be ready within the next two years and Mamon said they were open to inviting third-party operators to run this business.

She said the company would boost its marketing activities, mainly targeting locals, which comprise about 95 percent of Enchanted Kingdom’s visitors. But efforts are also being aimed at foreigners.

“Our goal is to help in boosting tourism, both domestic and foreign,” Mamon said.

Fundraising for the expansion plan is already covered. Mamon said the company could easily tap partners or draw on existing credit lines to finance expansion.

She said that there are no plans for Enchanted Kingdom to go public in the near future.

Enchanted Kingdom has over 19 rides and attractions, including a 130-foot high Ferris Wheel and thrill rise like its Extreme Drop Tower, which lifts and vertically drops guests from a height of 120 feet, according to information on its website.

The theme park, which is part of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, may also replicate its model in other parts of the country should the opportunity come up.

“There have been requests for assistance,” Mamon said, referring to joint venture proposals from landed individuals, whom she declined to identify.

“But we are now focused [on Santa Rosa].”