Taiwan Today

If one opens this door and says the name of the place he or she wishes to go, they will be transported there as they pass through. The dokodemo door, literally the "anywhere" door, is one of the most common gadgets the popular cartoon character Doraemon takes out from his "fourth-dimensional pocket." That, together with a time machine and moshimo-box, a telephone booth device where the characters dial a number and propose a "what if" scenario that alters the world, all make their appearance in the Doraemon Story House at Window on China, one of Taiwan's leading theme parks.

All this awaits visitors, plus dancing and singing performances by a life-size Doraemon figure and his friends Nobita, Shizuka, Jyian and Suneo, as well as the opportunity to shake hands with the beloved characters. "I asked my aunt to bring me here because I want to see Doraemon, my favorite cartoon figure. He looks so cute with his big head and eyes and he can do marvelous things with his magic pocket," says Li Gu-qi, a fifth grader. "I can't wait to see the Doraemon show and shake hands with him!"

The introduction of the Doraemon-themed program early this year at Window on China, located in Taoyuan County in northern Taiwan, has helped boost the park's popularity. Consequently, its total visitor numbers and souvenir sales in the first six months of 2009 both doubled year-on-year in spite of a generally unfavorable economic environment.

"You need to offer a variety of facilities and entertaining programs to attract customers and give them the feeling their money is well spent, as well as continually unveil new things to encourage repeat visits. That's the key to business survival and growth," says Chu Chung-hong, chairman of Window on China. "For example, the Doraemon project was our secret weapon that we've been planning for more than two years. It has an investment of about NT$100 million (US$3 million) and will drive our business for 2009. We're glad that this new scheme is working out well."

Seeking popular themes or characters like Doraemon that have broad appeal as well as tap into local people's collective memory has been a main task for Window on China. The park, which opened in 1984, was originally designed to provide an overview of traditional Chinese buildings in mainland China and Taiwan, as well as showcase Taiwan's major economic developments over time such as the 10 major infrastructure projects launched during the 1970s and later the high-speed railway system that began operation in 2007.

In tandem with this evolution, the Mini Kingdom at Window on China has been expanded from representing famous landmarks located in Taiwan and mainland China to those in the rest of Asia, the Americas and Europe. Currently, a total of 133 miniature scenes are presented on a scale of 1 to 25 to the original building.

Many people wonder at the insistence on this small scale since similar parks in most other countries reduce models to a scale of 1 to 15 at most, but Window on China chose its scale deliberately. "Most experts agree that 1 to 25 is the best scale for models. If the model is too big, it's hard for children to see the whole building. With the smaller models adults and even children can view them from all sides and even appreciate the fine details of the roof, for example," Chu says. Needless to say, a high level of craftsmanship is required to recreate all the design features of a building on such a small scale.

Window on the World

"As well as creating faithful miniature replicas, we also pay close attention to the tiny figures and live trees and shrubs that make up the landscape setting for the models," Chu explains. "Through our meticulous planning and selection, we aspire to provide a 'window' for visitors to see the world."

Chu is dedicated to building his park into a place for family fun. Accordingly, he has sought to diversify the park's entertainment programs, which now include firework displays, clowns, magic shows, singing, dancing and traditional folk performances such as acrobatics and the ever-popular Sichuan Opera Changing Mask act for visitors of all ages to enjoy.

Apart from indoor and outdoor rides like bumper cars, merry-go-rounds and roller coasters, a water playground has been built at Window on China to offer a cool space to visitors. Among its fun and challenging attractions is an enormous water slide called "Water Mania" that was imported from Canada. Tourists can enjoy 2,000 jets of water shooting out from everywhere and experience a drenching downpour that can drive away the summer heat. Or they can journey to mysterious Egypt on the hair-raising, 12-story-high Nile adventure ride, which includes a steep drop and a gigantic 6-story-tall wave splashing down.

Window on China's continuous investments to attract visitors with exciting and novel amusements explain why it can not only stay afloat amid the intense market competition, but also do quite good business. According to tallies compiled by the Tourism Bureau, between January and May of 2009, visitor attendance at Taiwan's 24 licensed theme parks reached 2.94 million, up 20 percent, while their sales amounted to NT$2.1 billion (US$64 million), up 9 percent, compared to the same period a year ago. Such significant business growth was attributed to several factors, including the government's distribution of NT$3,600 (US$109) consumer vouchers to Taiwanese citizens, discounts from operators and publicity drives by the Tourism Bureau.

Guo Shu-li, secretary-general of the Taiwan Amusement Park Association (TAPA), notes that theme park operations are labor-intensive and need heavy investments, given that most advanced equipment is imported from North America and Europe, and that a high number of service workers has to be recruited to tend to customers throughout the parks' spacious grounds. "Taiwan has a high density of theme parks. Those that do not make regular investments to renew their rides, shows or other facilities will surely be driven out of the market," Guo says. "In other words, the ones that have survived to date basically all hold some kind of competitive edge."

Local theme parks, Guo continues, each have their own unique attractions or niche. Hence, they do not necessarily compete with one another to gain business. Rather, they should be able to secure their own clienteles providing they continue to offer satisfactory entertainment programs and services. Meanwhile, given the generosity of Taiwanese parents in terms of spending on their children, plenty of related business opportunities are likely to remain.

"Taiwan's theme parks each focus on different thematic activities such as highlighting sheer thrills, recreation, architecture, folk culture, ecology or science," Guo says. "Still, they do share some things in common like emphasizing variety, service, high-tech rides and some aspect of local culture. And they all endeavor to build themselves into a kind of 'fantasyland' that draws in visitors with the promise of fun and then offers nice memories of their outing."

Established in 2007, TAPA is tasked with promoting theme parks across Taiwan through integrated marketing and advertising. The organization has joined groups organized by the Taiwan Visitors Association to attend international travel fairs to cultivate overseas markets, and has also helped to coordinate promotions such as accommodation and park admission packages, as well as offering lotteries and gifts at joint media conferences hosted by the Tourism Bureau during the summer and winter vacations. These publicity campaigns, Guo adds, raise the visibility of Taiwan's theme parks and contribute to the growth in visitor attendance.

Guo expresses confidence in the overall quality of domestic theme parks, saying their operations are under the close scrutiny of the Tourism Bureau and local government authorities, and that their service personnel are usually enthusiastic and helpful.

State-of-the-Art Thrills

Huang Jing-hui, section chief of the Tourism Bureau's Domestic Tourism Division, says many of the 24 parks currently in operation are equipped with state-of-the-art thrill rides unrivalled in Asia or even the world.

To facilitate the development of Taiwan's theme parks, the Tourism Bureau provides operators with different forms of aid, in addition to joint promotional activities, including investment consultations, administrative assistance and even help with land acquisitions by coordinating with local government agencies. The bureau also publishes information and updates on the parks in its magazines.

Plus, the bureau has set up a dedicated website, www.themeparks.net.tw, in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean, to offer information about the location, ticket prices, opening hours, types of entertainment and promotional packages offered by domestic theme parks.

On another front, the Tourism Bureau invites experts and officials from the government's construction, fire, health, police, environmental and consumer protection units to check the safety systems, management, environment, sanitation and tourist services at licensed theme parks between July and September each year. The evaluation measures, Huang explains, are designed to encourage operators to provide superior facilities and services, while making sure their operations fully comply with all health and safety regulations.

In addition, local governments are required to conduct similar inspections in the first as well as the second half of each year and send the results to the Tourism Bureau. Evaluations by the Tourism Bureau and local administrations account for 80 percent and 20 percent, respectively, of a park's total score, with the final results published in December each year. Theme parks that score above 90 percent are listed as "excellent" and those above 85 percent are ranked as "great." As a result, they are eligible for public commendations and assistance from the bureau, which further enhances a park's reputation.

In 2008, a total of 10 theme parks with different characteristics were rated as "excellent," including Leofoo Village Theme Park, Yamay Resort, Janfusun Fancyworld, Window on China, Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, West Lake Resortopia, Little Ding-Dong Science Park, Hualien Farglory Ocean Park, Atayal Resort and Jianshanpi Jiangnan Resort.

Of them, Leofoo Village Theme Park, located in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, has registered continued expansion since opening in 1979 as a wild animal park. Today, the park boasts four theme areas--Wild West, South Pacific, Arabian Kingdom and African Safari--and stands out as the first park in Asia to combine a zoo with other amusements. The master plan for the transformation of Leofoo Village was mapped out in 1994 by prestigious Battaglia Associates Inc., one of the companies that contributed to the design of Disneyland Park in the United States.

"A theme park must have a strong theme with all of its architecture, landscaping, recreational facilities, music, the costumes of service workers, merchandise, food and beverages being carefully planned and produced to complement it. That calls for huge investments, the use of advanced technologies and innovative design," says Albert Yuan, a marketing communication manager at Leofoo Village. "The aim is to create a space for fantasy, where visitors can experience dreams and excitement."

Leofoo Village's African Safari currently houses some 100 kinds of wild animals. Visitors can take a steam train, the Nairobi Express, for an excursion to observe herbivores like rhinoceros and American bison or a tour bus for an exciting venture through the predatory animal area to see American black bears and baboons, or walk around to say hello to macaws and monkeys.

Rides and More Rides

In addition, the park has about 30 mechanical rides including Pagoda's Revenge, an attraction that features a three-second free fall drop from a height of 17 stories straight down to the ground. There is also the Screaming Condor, the world's second and Asia's first U-shaped suspended spiral roller coaster that makes a 360-degree whirl and a 90-degree vertical drop. That is not to forget Captain Cook's Swinging Ship, one of the four largest of such rides in the world, which swings back and forth across an arc of 70 degrees up to seven stories above the ground, another Leofoo attraction aimed at satisfying the appetite of visitors who love thrills.

Moreover, noted entertainers from Africa, Brazil, Russia and New Zealand present sundry shows like hula dancing, torch dancing, drumming, cliff diving and musical performances. "Despite the weak economy, we have not slowed down the pace of our investments in our equipment and services. For example, our new ride, Pagoda's Revenge, cost NT$200 million (US$6 million) to build," Yuan says. "We strive to offer a diverse range of entertainment to cater to visitors of all ages and combine education with recreation. Hopefully, when leaving our park, visitors are filled with delight and satisfaction."

Due to an increase in entertainment options for consumers to choose from and the popularity of overseas travel, visitor attendance at Leofoo Village has dropped in the last two years, Yuan admits. Nevertheless, the park saw a turnaround in the first seven months of this year with the number of visitors hitting 770,000, a hike of more than 50 percent compared with the same period last year.

Yuan attributes the business growth to Leofoo's adoption of new marketing strategies, in addition to the introduction of world-class equipment and performances. For example, Leofoo Village offered free admission to children under 12 years old during the nine-day-long Lunar New Year holiday in late January. And to celebrate its 30th anniversary, the park provided those born in 1979 with free entry in April and May. It also moved to halve its ticket price to NT$450 (US$14) during the summer school vacation in July and August. All these offers, Yuan adds, served to bolster overall visitor attendance to the park.

Meanwhile, to raise income and exercise better control over quality and costs, Yuan says all of the sales outlets and restaurants within Leofoo Village are directly operated by the park administration, rather than outsourced. Also, the routes connecting the rides, shows, shops and restaurants, along with the general landscaping of the grounds, are carefully planned to increase the time that visitors stay in the park and consequently their consumption there.

Leofoo Village is now building a 164-room hotel that will be able to accommodate some 800 tourists. The resort, slated for completion by late 2009, is adjacent to the habitats of several of the wild animal species at the park including giraffes, zebras and antelopes. Hotel guests can thus simply look out their window to appreciate the animals in a natural environment.

Yuan says that although school groups currently comprise the bulk of its visitors, in particular those celebrating graduation or year-end field trips, his park hopes to reach members of the general public on a larger scale in order to secure stable revenue streams. Thus, as well as offering hotel accommodation, Leofoo Village is seeking to team up with other tourism operators in the vicinity to offer tour packages with a wide range of options.

Money for Fun

Given the way in which recreational activities such as visiting theme parks have become a part of life for Taiwanese and international tourists visiting Taiwan, Yuan is upbeat about the development potential of the island's theme park industry. "Along with an increasing emphasis on one's quality of life, quite a high number of consumers are willing to spend money to have fun and enjoy themselves. We're confident in our competitiveness in winning their patronage," he says.

Similarly, Chu Chung-hong of Window on China is optimistic about the appeal of Taiwan's theme parks in the long term, citing their local characteristics, the wide variety of amusements on offer and the frequent addition of new attractions. Plus, the government has listed tourism among the nation's six major emerging industries and plans to assist in the development of such parks through financing, the consolidation of inbound and outbound transportation links, cultivating professionalism in the industry and promotional activities.

Chu also believes that the opening of Taiwan to mainland Chinese tourists will help drive future theme park growth. This year, his park has taken the initiative to foster close contact with a number of travel agencies in mainland China and has already seen a significant rise in the number of mainland visitors.

It seems that Taiwan's theme park operators are working hard to secure loyal customers in order to grow their business. "We've been to this park several times because there's a variety of fun options available. Besides providing various kinds of rides, the shows they put on are always different and fantastic! Also, my kids are excited to be able to take a look at those wild animals up close," says Chen Hui-ling, a visitor to Leofoo Village Theme Park along with her husband and two children. "The overall atmosphere of the park is really festive and friendly, so we feel happy and relaxed. That's why we're often tempted to visit the park and keep coming back."

Write to Kelly Her at kelly@mail.gio.gov.tw