KidZania Manila to close by Aug 31 this year
MANILA, Philippines – ABS-CBN Corp. is permanently closing down the KidZania Manila children’s theme park in Bonifacio Global City by the end of August 2020, ending a five-year run.
The company said in a stock exchange filing on Wednesday the end of operations was due to the adverse effects brought about by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The closure on Aug. 31 also coincides with the mass layoffs announced by ABS-CBN after lawmakers voted to deny the media giant a new 25-year broadcast franchise last July 10.
“Even if we are allowed to operate in the future, the ‘new normal’ will prohibit mass gathering and require children to remain at home. These conditions have left us with no choice but to close the play city’s doors permanently,” KidZania Manila said in its statement.
It was not immediately clear how many KidZania Manila employees will be affected by the closure.
KidZania was created by Mexican entrepreneur Xavier López Ancona, who established the first site in Sante Fe, Mexico in 1999.
KidZania is an interactive “kid-sized city” that allows children to learn through guided role-play activities.
At present, there are 20 KidZania facilities across 17 cites around the world, including Manila.
KidZania Manila is located in an 8,000 square meter site in BGC. It saw around 214,000 visitors in the first nine months of 2019, according to ABS-CBN. It caters to children and teenagers aged four to 17 years old.
KidZania Manila offered a range of role-playing activities in real-world establishments such as fire stations, hospitals, theatres, factories and airports.
For example, participants can prepare special medicines at the on-site pharmacy or write feature stories for their publishing company.
KidZania Manila partnered with some of the country’s largest brands and businesses such as budget airline Cebu Pacific, San Miguel Corp., Century Tuna and the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
KidZania Manila is part of ABS-CBN’s consumer and product experiences segment. The division was not profitable, posting a loss of P170 million during the nine-month period of 2019 despite operating revenues of P668 million. [ac]
