Carnival Magic Co, under the umbrella of Safari World, the country's biggest theme park operator, is set to open Carnival Magic theme park in Phuket on Sept 20 to draw tourists during the upcoming high season.
Kittikorn Kewkacha, president and chief executive of Carnival Magic Co, said with Covid-19 easing, the tourism business in Phuket has gradually improved, faring better than several islands that are in competition with Phuket.
"We are confident the opening of the 6.6-billion-baht theme park, which spans 100 rai, will welcome as many as 2 million domestic and foreign tourists next year," said Mr Kittikorn.
"Phuket's tourism industry is recovering and is expected to resume strong growth soon. Phuket Provincial Tourism and Sports Office reported that thanks to the lifting of the Test & Go requirement on May 1, the island is expected to welcome 5 million international arrivals this year, marking 50% of the pre-pandemic level."
He said the theme park should help revitalise the island's tourism market.
"Carnival Magic is uniquely Thai and nothing like it has been seen anywhere in the world," Mr Kittikorn said.
It is the third theme park under Safari World Group, which was established 36 years ago.
Carnival Magic, located in Phuket's Kamala Beach area, adjacent to Phuket FantaSea, offers Thai-style carnivals augmented by modern technology, he said. This includes fun and colourful parades, carnivals and temple fairs across Thailand with dazzling light decorations, said Mr Kittikorn.
The theme park is open from 5.30pm to 11.30pm and is divided into four main zones, including the carnival fun fair zone, where visitors can make their way through a shopping street, buying products in a festive, celebratory atmosphere along with all-night-long carnival performances and other attractions, he said.
The buffet restaurant zone provides seating to accommodate 3,000 guests with more than 100 delicacies from the East and the West.
A luxury restaurant called The River of Bliss is set to open in the future, said Mr Kittikorn.
The third zone is the river palace, offering a 16,000-square-metre indoor show theatre -- one of the largest in Thailand and among the largest in the world.
The kingdom of lights zone features more than 40 million lights to create a dazzling masterpiece to spark the imagination of visitors, he said.
Carnival Magic aims for international clients, mainly from India, China, Europe, Australia and the Middle East making up 70% of its customers, with locals accounting for the remainder, said Mr Kittikorn.
The company expects the nighttime theme park will break even within 3-5 years, he said.
In addition to the new theme park, Mr Kittikorn said the company plans to upgrade Phuket FantaSea once tourism fully rebounds on the island.
