Wonderla Holidays plans expansion, eyes Chennai

It currently operates amusement parks in Kochi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad

Amusement park operator Wonderla Holidays Limited is looking to add three more parks including one in Chennai over the next few years as it aims to tap the growing middle class consumers who look at short day trips within cities.

Wonderla currently operates amusement parks in Kochi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, with the Bengaluru facility having a resort for an extended stay.

"We typically look at cities with a population of more than 5 million people as locations for the park. After Chennai we will be looking at Goa, Gujarat or Maharashtra. Currently, we are looking at Chennai and will take only one location at a time, "said Arun K Chittilappilly, managing director of Wonderla.

The company said its footfall grew by 30 per cent in last year mainly due to the expansion in Hyderabad a year ago. The Bengaluru park, however, saw a downfall in footfall.

"The downfall is mainly due to the step increase in prices in Bengaluru. We believe that the price should match offerings. While we will not bring down the price, we will have new schemes such as evening passes, deep discounts during off season to get better footfall," added Chittilappilly.

The park operator also plans to open multiple parks or theme parks in each of its establishment to make it a complete holiday destination. "Ultimately, we want to make Wonderla not just an amusement park but a holiday destination. Across the world, the way this has been done is by having resort facilities and multiple parks or theme parks within the same facility. We will be mainly looking at something based on education or animals for the park," said Chittilappilly.

Around 60 per cent of the crowd in parks is from schools and colleges, 10 per cent from corporates and the rest are walk-ins. Last year, the parks saw a total footfall of 2.6 million people.

Around 5 per cent of the bookings are made online which the operator is targeting to increase to 10 per cent this year. WonderLa also launched a new logo and theme song re-branding the park as a 'fun and energizing place where people get closer'.