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ESCAPE theme park is heading to Sri Lanka

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escape penang

Sim Leisure Group Ltd is taking its ESCAPE theme park to Sri Lanka. The developer and operator of ESCAPE Penang will sign a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Elpitiya Plantations PLC.

Elpitiya is listed in Sri Lanka and is an associated company of Aitken Spence PLC. The company will sublease land for the project, while Sim Leisure develops and operates ESCAPE Sri Lanka.

ESCAPE Penang in Malaysia features various play attractions, including climbing zones, obstacle courses, zip lines, and waterslides.

“I see tremendous opportunity in the Sri Lankan market with its population of over 20 million,” said Sim Choo Kheng, CEO of Sim Leisure. “Sri Lanka is one of few countries which is unspoilt and green.”

ESCAPE Sri Lanka construction starts in March 2020

“The country’s unpolluted coastline and beaches bring tourists from all over the world and its tourism industry is growing at an incredible pace,” he added. “Furthermore, the cost of doing business in Sri Lanka is relatively low.”

Sim Leisure has been granted preliminary approval to start construction on ESCAPE Sri Lanka in March 2020.

ESCAPE Sri Lanka will be located between Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, and the beach resort of Galle.

Sim Choo Kheng continued: “We will have the first-mover advantage of building the first world-class attraction in Sri Lanka.

Theme park will be located between Colombo and Galle

https://www.instagram.com/p/B798bNRlF45/

“Unlike many parts of East Asia, Sri Lanka has tremendous untapped potential for family leisure and a highly-educated population hungry for success.

“We see this as a great opportunity to train the local population in our operations for future global expansion. We will be generating smiles per hour never seen before in Sri Lanka.”

Over the past 25 years, Sim Leisure has completed more than 300 projects, including Bollywood and Motiongate (Dubai), Yas Waterworld (Abu Dhabi), Legoland (Denmark and Malaysia), and Universal Studios (Singapore).

Meanwhile, Sim Leisure wants to replicate the success of ESCAPE and is looking to expand to China and the Asean region.

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Bea Mitchell

Bea is a journalist specialising in entertainment, attractions and tech with 10 years' experience. She has written and edited for publications including CNET, BuzzFeed, Digital Spy, Evening Standard and BBC. Bea graduated from King's College London and has an MA in journalism.

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