Enchanted Kingdom
|
The front gate of the theme park | |
| Slogan | "The Magic Lives Forever!" |
|---|---|
| Location | San Lorenzo South, Santa Rosa, Laguna, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 14°16′55″N 121°05′43″E / 14.2819473°N 121.0953936°ECoordinates: 14°16′55″N 121°05′43″E / 14.2819473°N 121.0953936°E |
| Owner | Enchanted Kingdom, Inc. |
| Opened | October 19, 1995 |
| Operating season | Year-round |
| Visitors per annum | 1.8 million (2015) |
| Area | 25 hectares (62 acres) |
| Rides | |
| Total | 30 |
| Roller coasters | 2 |
| Water rides | 2 |
| Website |
enchantedkingdom |
| Status | Operating |
Enchanted Kingdom, often abbreviated EK, is a theme park in the Philippines. It is located in Santa Rosa, Laguna, about 39 kilometers (24 mi) from Manila. It has a land area of 25 hectares (62 acres). The park is managed and operated by Enchanted Kingdom Inc.
Enchanted Kingdom is a member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).
History
Foundation
Mario and Cynthia Mamon are the founders of the theme park. Their family frequented visited theme parks such as Boom na Boom, Big Bang sa Alabang and Fiesta Carnival which led to the couple of opening a theme park of their own.[1] They also visited Disneyland and Ocean Park amusement parks in Hong Kong and attended a amusement conference in the former Crown colony where they were introduced to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA). They joined the association in 1992 following the Mamons' first trade show attendance in Dallas, United States realizing that the group could be instrumental for the two to enter the amusement park industry.[2]
Aside from being the founder and President of Enchanted Kingdom, Mr. Mamon is the first Asian and first Filipino to head the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions or IAAPA.[3]
Construction
The IAAPA assisted them on getting consultants, contractors and suppliers to set up Enchanted Kingdom.[1] Gary Goddard, who was then with Landmark Entertainment, was behind the designing and the master plan of the original Enchanted Kingdom while Cincinnati, Ohio-based firm, Denis Spiegel and International Theme Park Services gave consultations to the Mamons regarding amusement parks especially on topics such as safety and operations for the first three years. The groundbreaking of Enchanted Kingdom was made on August 1994.[2]
Enchanted Kingdom opened in October 19, 1995.[4][5][6] Construction of the amusement park, initially situated on a 10 hectares (25 acres) property was rush to get ahead with other potential competitors seeking to establish their own amusement park in the Philippines.[2]
Operation
Operations of Enchanted Kingdom were with difficulties during its first years from 1995-2002, with the 1997 Asian financial crisis affecting the business significantly only recovering from the financial breakdown in 2003.[1] When business stabilized, the management began introducing two entertainment units per year. Business grew and was later registered the highest daytime visit to an amusement part in Region IV (Calabarzon and Mimaropa regions) from the Department of Tourism. Domestic visitors comprise the majority of the amusement park's visitors.[4]
Future expansion
In 2016, Enchanted Kingdom began a 10-year expansion which includes the redevelopment of the existing theme park and addition of new zones, a regional convention center, a water park and a lifestyle center.[7]
Park Layout and design
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Initially the consultants brought in by the Mamons came up with an initial design for the park were heavily inspired from Philippine architecture but the initial design was not chosen since the Mamons preferred a fantasy-oriented design for Enchanted Kingdom. Mario Mamon reasons that if the initial design was executed instead it would result to visitors seeing what they see "outside in their normal lives" which he remarks would "sort of break the magic".[2]
The rides and attractions of the park are scattered across seven themed zones.[5] The zones are Victoria Park, Portabello, Boulderville, Midway Boardwalk, Brooklyn Place, Spaceport and Jungle Outpost.
Victoria Park which includes the front gate of Enchanted Kingdom, is patterned after the Victorian era. Boulderville is a small ride area dedicated for children which is similar to the fictional town of Bedrock from The Flintstones. Midway Boardwalk, on the other hand is based on 1930s Coney Island. The Jungle Outpost zone is based from the Amazon Jungle in South America. Spaceport is dedicated to the Space Age. Brooklyn Place is inspired from New York in the 1940s and Portabello is based on a port in South America.[2]
Future zones planned for Enchanted Kingdom includes a zone dedicated to the amusement park's mascot, Eldar, as well as a zone focusing on Philippine culture dubbed as the Cultural Zone which is a deviation from the initial concept for the park.[2]
Attractions
The Enchanted Kingdom hosts around 20 rides and attractions as of 2013.[6] Among the attractions of Enchanted Kingdom is the Space Shuttle, a roller coaster and the Wheel of Fate, a 39.62 meters (130.0 ft) high Ferris wheel with 36 gondolas with each gondola having a 6-person capacity.[8]
Among the future planned attractions of the theme park is Agila: The EKsperience, a flight motion simulator ride scheduled to open in December 2016.
Visitors
The amusement park experienced financial difficulties in 1997, 2007 and 2008 but since 2009, Enchanted Kingdom received a steady increased in regards to its number of visitors.[2] However in 2013, the park experienced a drop in attendance due to bad weather conditions in the latter half of the year which also saw the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda). In 2015, it was reported that 10 percent of the theme park's visitors are foreigners mostly Chinese and Koreans.[9] In 2015, Enchanted Kingdom registered its largest attendance on it 20-year history with 1.8 million people visiting the park in the said year.[2]
Branding
Enchanted Kingdom doesn't pay royalties to other western brands regarding its characters and attractions. According to company owner, Mario Mamon, the attractions and shows at the amusement park are produced with educational and Filipino values in mind and not solely for entertainment and amusement purposes.[1]
Characters
The main mascot of the park is Eldar the Wizard, who is designed to embody "knowledge and integrity".[1] The character is a jolly and old wizard from the distant land of Marsynthea.[5] Another character devised by Enchanted Kingdom is Princess Victoria.[10]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Ubaldo, Aye (January–April 2015). "A leap of faith, a lifetime of memories". PANA AdEdge. Philippine Association of National Advertisers. 11 (1): 53–55.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Leading in Asia: The Philippines' Enchanted Kingdom". Blooloop. Blooloop. 17 February 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ "Enchanted Kingdom president becomes first Asian to chair IAAPA". Philstar Global. September 23, 2013.
- 1 2 Ubaldo, Aye (January–April 2015). "The real magic emanates from middle-class Merlin". PANA AdEdge. Philippine Association of National Advertisers. 11 (1): 44–45.
- 1 2 3 "Overview of EK". Enchanted Kingdom. Enchanted Kingdom. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- 1 2 Hidalgo, Vanessa (26 October 2013). "'Park created by families and for families to enjoy'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ↑ Miller, Keith (March 2016). "First Look - March 2016 - The Philippines' Enchanted Kingdom Embarks on 10-Year Expansion". Funworld. International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ "Wheel of Fate". Enchanted Kingdom. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ↑ Amojelar, Darwin (3 February 2014). "Number of visitors to Enchanted Kingdom drops in 2013 amid cancellations". InterAksyon.com. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
- ↑ "Enchanted Kingdom's Eldar, the Wizard & Princess Victoria meet PO1 Bato". Manila Bulletin. 13 August 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Enchanted Kingdom. |