Safari World Plc, Thailand's biggest theme park operator, is undergoing a significant transformation, revolutionising the privately-owned animal theme park to enhance its appeal to local visitors.
Located in Klong Sam Wa district in eastern Bangkok, the 35-year-old theme park is bolstering its offerings by introducing more than 40 interactive activities designed for fun and educational entertainment.
LIONS AND TIGERS
In addition to observing lions, tigers, zebras and other animals from a bus, visitors can engage with wildlife, feeding lions, tigers and hippos in secure enclosures as well as watching new animals such as alpaca.
The park's dining choices were also revamped, with each restaurant overhauled. There are four restaurants that have various styles at the park.
Visitors will be allowed to actively engage with the wildlife.
Savanna restaurant, with a seating capacity of 1,800, offers an Indian buffet, while Aviary and Bird House eateries provide international-style buffets with 450 and 400 seats, respectively.
New addition Blossom restaurant offers 600 seats and is scheduled to open next year.
The park is also adding more animals to enrich its offerings, said Litti Kewkacha, director and executive vice-president of Safari World.
"The landscape of Safari World transformed in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic, creating a more compelling reason for people to visit," he said.
"The park looks different than it did five years ago as we gear up for a new era of recreation infrastructure."
During the pandemic lull, the company initiated a comprehensive overhaul of its facilities, said Mr Litti.
To incentivise membership and broaden its visitor base to 200,000 people, the park launched special promotions, including a significant reduction in the annual ticket fee from 2,880 baht to 999 baht. This strategic move aims to attract diverse customer groups, especially the young generation and workers, to experience the revitalised park, he said.
The tactics worked, as Safari World's business rebounded from the impact of the pandemic to post a record high this year, said Mr Litti.
New Offerings
Before the pandemic, 80% of Safari World's revenue was derived from ticket fees. Post-pandemic, the company introduced experiential services to create a new income stream, he said.
In addition, the quality of souvenirs was enhanced to encourage more purchases, said Mr Litti.
Visitors will be allowed to actively engage with the wildlife.
He said the introduction of Thailand's first and only outdoor photo studio improved the visitor experience, allowing guests to capture moments with the park's stars, including orangutans, baby tigers, macaws, and birds of prey, in a natural photogenic setting.
By the end of the year, the company also plans to implement educational initiatives, such as teaching children to cook food for birds.
FOCUS ON LOCAL
Mr Litti highlighted a notable shift in customer demographics, as before the pandemic only 10% of the park's customers were Thai. After the pandemic, the proportion of local customers has risen to 20%, with the company aiming for 70% in the future, he said.
"During the pandemic, we lost up to 2 billion baht, but fortunately our country reopened before others in the region, leading to an influx of customers to Thailand," said Mr Litti.
"The government's focus on resuming tourism is a step in the right direction, as it will stimulate spending. However, we emphasise the urgent need for infrastructure improvements in Phuket. We hope the tourism situation in Phuket will soon return to normal."
The company operates Phuket FantaSea and Carnival Magic three days a week, while Safari World in Bangkok has returned to normal hours, thanks to its efficient management, he said.
The company cut staff to 770 people from 1,100 before the pandemic. Each staff member has undergone training and job rotation can be utilised, said Mr Litti.
"Our business is already profitable and we learned many valuable lessons from the pandemic," he said.
"We are committed to preventing a recurrence of the challenges we faced during that period."
The group has consistently invested 5-7 billion baht per park for Safari World, Phuket FantaSea and Carnival Magic (in Kamala Beach, Phuket) over the past three decades, said Mr Litti.
Overseas expansion
Drawing on the company's extensive experience in the animal theme park business, over the last several years Safari World has attracted interest from investors in various countries, asking it to develop animal theme parks, provide management services or collaborate in other ways, he said.
"Now is the time for us to diversify and accelerate our growth. We've initiated partnerships with foreign developers who own sizeable plots of land and are eager to develop tourism projects that can drive growth and enhance the value of their land," said Mr Litti.
The company's focus is on China because of a similar climate and logistical readiness, he said.
Safari World recently embarked on its first animal theme park collaboration with two Chinese partners, including a tourism officer in Yunnan. The park is under development on 5,000 rai of land, strategically located at the doorstep of a high-speed train station and near the Stone Forest, a popular tourist destination in Yunnan.
The park is part of a large tourism project in Yunnan, featuring a hotel, golf course and retail facilities. The company anticipates opening the park within two years.
"We selected this location because it attracts 5 million visitors annually, yet lacks man-made attractions or a five-star hotel. Yunnan, known as a spring city, presents a prime opportunity for developing natural tourist attractions that extend beyond our borders," said Mr Litti.
"Our group holds a unique position as both a theme park developer and operator, boasting over 35 years of expertise. We can design, develop and manage a project after it opens, and there are few companies with these comprehensive capabilities in the travel business."
The company aims to differentiate itself from Western brands such as Disney and Universal by bringing a distinct concept and cultural approach to theme park development, he said.
Mr Litti said he is in discussions with four countries other than China, where the company already established an office and just completed the design phase of the project.
"Traditionally, we build one animal theme park every 10 years. We have three different theme parks in Thailand," he said.
"It's time to extend our expertise in theme park design and creation beyond our borders."
