THE P1-billion education theme park of ABS-CBN Corp. is expected to open early next quarter, a company executive said.
“We’ll be happy if we can launch KidZania Manila by July. Hopefully, we can open by then,” ABS-CBN Group CFO Rolando P. Valdueza said in a chance interview.
KidZania Manila is currently being developed by Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. on a 6,000-square-meter property on 11th corner 32nd streets in Bonifacio Global City.
Originally eyed to open last November, the facility was franchised from Mexican amusement park operator KidZania Inc., which has 13 other parks worldwide. It is expected to hit breakeven three years after it commercially opens.
Play Innovations Inc., which bought the franchise to operate the facility in the country, is 73-percent owned by ABS-CBN Theme Parks and Resorts Inc. The rest, or 27 percent, is owned by Singapore-based Kids Edutainment Ltd. BVI.
In other parts of the globe, the play park is “generally profitable.” It is expected to generate 500 jobs and cater to 600,000 visitors annually with a daily foot traffic of 1,500.
KidZania’s facilities are designed to replicate the real world where kids can take on adult roles and earn money by playing branded activities. The money can be used to purchase KidZania goods and services. Privately held KidZania Inc. opened its first park in 1999 at Santa Fe Shopping Mall in Mexico City.
Lorenz S. Marasigan