Perak Corporation Berhad has unveiled a RM300 Million Movie Animation Park Studios(MAPS) in Meru, Ipoh which will Is expected to complete in December 2015.
Perak Menteri Besar Zambry has estimated a 1.4 Million tourists both from within Malaysia and overseas to visit MAPS during its first year of operation.
The estimation by Zambry is ficticious, unrealistic and superfluous when Perak does not even have an International airport. What Ipoh has at best is a regional airport which makes foreigners visit extremely inconvenient. The nearest International Airport from MAPS would be the Penang International Airport which is 151km away and a 1.5 hours drive. Kuala Lumpur International Airport is 253km away and a 2.5 hours drive.
How is MAPS going to attract foreign tourists when there is no international airport in Ipoh?
According to the Tourism Ministry, Malaysia received 102.2 million foreign tourists from 2008 – 2013. However only 2.4 million foreign tourists visit Perak which is a mere 2%. This averaged around 400k visitors a year to the Perak State.
Does Zambry seriously believe the number of foreign tourists will miraculously triple or quadruple with the completion of MAPS even without an international airport?
The theme park business is a very competitive industry in recent years, with the opening of Legoland in Johor Bahru, Universal Studio Singapore, The Cartoon Network Amazone Waterpark in Pattaya, Thailand which will open by the end of July and the Twentieth Century Fox Theme Park in Genting which is expected to open in 2016.
The cost of Legoland Malaysia and the water theme park is RM720 million, while The Legoland Hotel costs RM190 million. Legoland could also benefit from the foreign tourists to Universal Studio Singapore due to its strategic location near to Singapore. Universal Studio Singapore has recorded 2 Million tourists in its first 9 months of opening.
On the other hand, the Twentieth Century Fox Theme Park is a RM910 million investment to upgrade its existing theme park to woo international tourists.
The Cartoon Network Amazone Theme Park in Pattaya although relatively smaller with a RM100 Million investment has the advantage of being next to an internationally renowned beach. It is only 15 minutes drive from South Pattaya and could complement the beautiful beach of Pattaya and potentially attract more tourists to Pattaya.
What is the competitive advantage of MAPS being a RM300 Million theme park built in a city without an international airport?
I urge Zambry to immediately launch an Ipoh Tourism Masterplan which include transportation, infrastructure, food, and accommodation to complement and attract more tourists to MAPS.
Without a tourism masterplan to support MAPS, Zambry’s estimation of 1.4million tourists is just blowing hot air.