ESCAPE theme park grabs tourism title

ESCAPE theme park in Teluk Bahang, Penang, has been crowned one of the country’s ‘Best Tourist Attractions’ in the Malaysia Tourism Awards 2016/2017.

It won the accolade of best ‘Man-made Attraction — Theme Park’.

It is the first tourist attraction from the state to be honoured in this category since the awards’ inception in 1987.

ESCAPE founder Sim Choo Kheng, with 28 years of international experience in the industry through his company, Sim Leisure Group, saw the achievement as a triumph for the state.

“ESCAPE started as a dream of me rediscovering my childhood playing in Thean Teik Estate in Air Itam.

“Ultimately, I hope to grow it into the biggest and most successful playground in Malaysia and make it the main reason for tourists to come to Penang,” he said of the multi-phase project.

Sim picked up the trophy at the awards ceremony held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Wednesday.

Sim posing with the trophy for Best Tourist Attractions (Man-made Attraction - Theme Park) won in the Malaysia Tourism Awards 2016/2017.

The proud Penangite said he has always believed that the state needs a world-class attraction to bring back the glory days of the state’s tourism industry.

The first component, Adventureplay, opened in 2012, followed by Waterplay at the end of 2017. Both have since provided thrill-seekers with endless hours of fun.

A third phase, named Gravityplay, is set to open by December. It will feature the longest waterslide in the world, spanning 1.2km alongside a 600m downhill luge and other hilltop attractions.

Further phases are likely to come as the company has only utilised 22acres (8.9ha) out of the 44acres (17.8ha) they own in the area.

Internationally, the Sim Leisure Group is set to roll out three more ESCAPEs in the next five years, with one already being planned in Bangkok, Thailand.

“Unlike other theme parks which are owned and run by real estate developers, we are a standalone operator who’ve had to work very hard to give customers a good product.

“With no other interests, we’ve had to constantly improve our offerings and services to survive and remain competitive.

“Today’s tourists have information at their fingertips and attractions like ourselves cannot afford to be complacent,” he said.

Besides ESCAPE, the other ‘Best Tourist Attractions’ winners were Kilim Geopark in Langkawi for ‘Natural Attraction/Eco-Tourism/Agro-Tourism’ and the North Borneo Railway in Sabah for ‘Man-made Attraction — Arts and Culture’.

This year’s awards, its 20th edition, gave out 52 accolades under 14 categories.

Only one other establishment in Penang was honoured.

That was Feringgi Grill in Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, named top international restaurant under the ‘Innovative Restaurants’ category.

When asked about his view on the lack of winners from Penang, and the fact that ESCAPE was the state’s first ever ‘Best Tourist Attractions’ winner, Sim replied that whilst the Malaysian tourism pie has grown, Penang now has to share it with many others and face increasing competition from other new destinations within the country.

“It’s high time for us to adopt a new tourism direction and strategy. What we need is not only improvement, but a revolution. A revolution that will break away from the traditional thinking and approach.

“A quick look at the award winners show that other destinations such as Langkawi, Borneo, the Klang Valley and Johor have caught up.

“We really need a mindset shift and the foresight to stay relevant and be ahead of the game.

“We cannot be followers, but rather, trendsetters. I want ESCAPE to be the source of inspiration for Penang and an example for others to follow.

“To me, Penang is a crown jewel. We have the glorious history, the cultural elements, the comfortable climate, the hills and the seas.

“We need to get our act together and run it well,” Sim opines.

He also called on stakeholders “not to sell themselves cheap, as this will only draw mass tourism to Penang.”

As Penang is a small island, he felt it is not a place for mass tourism as it will destroy the industry.

Instead of sheer numbers, the new tourism strategy should focus on drawing high-yield tourists.

“I’ve worked on many tourism projects in countries where tourists pay a lot more. Up to two or three times more, and their tourism industries are very successful.

“Wouldn’t we rather attract tourists who spend RM1,000 per day instead of low-yield ones that spend only RM100 per day?

“We must adopt quality over quantity, and foster competitiveness as this will ultimately enhance the tourist experience,” he reasoned.