“Chinese real estate companies generally pay more attention to architectural design and engineering progress, which are their strengths. When doing cultural tourism projects, tourists’ feelings have become an important consideration, which cannot be ignored.” Kaisa International Paradise Noble Coker, President of Kaisa Group (referred to as “Kaisa International Paradise”), said in an exclusive interview with New Travel.
Well-known domestic real estate companies such as Wanda and Sunac have aggressively entered the cultural and tourism industry, but there are endless voices of controversy. Kaisa, which also has a real estate background, has carefully planned Kaisa’s Jinshawan International Paradise project (referred to as “Jinshawan International Paradise”). How to win in the Red Sea?
Night view of Shenzhen in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
The relationship between Kaisa International Paradise and the Greater Bay Area
In March 2016, the “Outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development” was released, and the concept of “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area” was officially proposed. A few months later, on November 29, 2016, Kaisa Group’s first park project – Jinshawan International Park was officially launched. At the beginning of 2017, Noble, who had served as the operating president of Hong Kong Disneyland and has more than 20 years of experience in international park operations, officially joined Kaisa International Park as the president. Since then, relevant policies for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area have been launched one after another, and the concept of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area has gradually moved towards implementation.
The birth of Jinshawan International Paradise has an indissoluble bond with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. It was launched in 2016 following the proposal of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. The Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an important period from policy concept to implementation.
Scenery of Dapeng New District, Shenzhen
Among them, the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Planning Outline” announced on February 18, 2019 proposed the goal of “building a high-quality living circle suitable for living, business and travel”, and the positioning of Jinshawan International Paradise is “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Coastal International cultural tourism innovation life circle”, the positioning of this project is not only in line with the development background of the times, but also reflects the goal spirit of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The positioning of Jinshawan International Paradise coincides with the positioning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. As Noble said, “We want to create an international tourist destination. We have already planned for the Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.”
In Noble’s view, Jinshawan International Paradise has a unique natural environment. Dapeng is the largest and best-preserved piece of ecological pure land in Shenzhen, with blue sky and clean water, known as the last “peach blossom garden” in Shenzhen. Jinshawan International Paradise is a major project for Shenzhen to implement the “Eastward Strategy”. It is planned to be completed and opened in the summer of 2020, and the annual tourist capacity is expected to reach 5 million.
At the same time, based on the unique geographical location of Shenzhen and the high-quality natural conditions of Dapeng, the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has also provided many benefits for Jinshawan International Park. “First, the relevant policies of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area propose to create a high-quality living circle suitable for living, working and traveling; second, the policies of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area attract international talents, and international tourist destinations need international talents; third, Focusing on the three dimensions of innovation, sustainable development and service, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area policy integrates surrounding resources.” Noble believes that the policy is beneficial to all walks of life, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an important tourist destination in China. The effect of policy on the field of cultural tourism is more direct and obvious.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area proposes to build a high-quality living circle suitable for living, working and traveling, but in Noble’s eyes, what Sands Bay International Park needs to do is not to change the natural conditions, but to use the advantages of natural resources to optimize the design of the environment so that Nature as a vehicle for storytelling. In fact, this coincides with the ecological environment construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even the Dapeng New Area.
Planning renderings of Jinshawan International Paradise
After leaving Hong Kong Disneyland and before joining Kaisa, Noble also worked at Wanda Park and served as a visiting professor at the Southern California School of Business. Noble found that there are great opportunities for cultural tourism in China, but real estate companies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even the whole of China generally pay more attention to their strengths – the field of construction engineering. When doing cultural tourism projects, the real needs of tourists cannot be ignored.
“Kaisa Group hopes that we can create an international tourist destination and cultural tourism products that are different from others. This impresses me. More importantly, Kaisa asks ‘how’? ” When asked why Kaisa was chosen, Noble replied like this. The Kaisa Group is very similar to Noble’s philosophy. For the positioning of Jinshawan International Paradise in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Noble believes that this is an international tourist destination, and to achieve this standard, the most important thing is to understand the real needs of customers and tailor them for them Build products.
“Others may be imitating, we strive to innovate”
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an area with fierce competition for domestic theme parks, where giants such as Guangzhou Chimelong, Shenzhen Happy Valley, East Overseas Chinese Town, and Zhuhai Chimelong are concentrated, and these theme parks have formed huge brand influence in China. At the same time, the above-mentioned theme parks are basically located in relatively convenient urban transportation locations, and their theme park groups have also entered the top ten in the world after years of development.
Among them, Chimelong Water Park, which may be in direct competition with Kaisa, has ranked first in the world in terms of annual tourist reception for six consecutive years, and Shenzhen Happy Valley Maya Water Park has also performed exceptionally well. About 26 kilometers away from Jinshawan International Paradise, OCT East has been in operation for more than ten years, and the annual tourist volume has basically remained at more than 3 million. The 10th anniversary scenic spot has received 36 million tourists.
Jinshawan International Paradise, surrounded by mountains and facing the sea
With such an intensive competition among giants, how does the “newcomer” in the theme park industry, Sands Cove International Park break through the fierce competition? “If we take Chimelong as our direct competitor, of course we will be very nervous or feel a lot of pressure. We will not compete directly with Chimelong, nor will we directly compete with OCT. The products we make are the products that are currently on the market. Products that no one makes can only be played in Jinshawan International Paradise.” Noble said frankly that Jinshawan International Paradise is different from other theme parks in terms of positioning products that are still blank in the market, instead of traditional theme parks, it is necessary to innovate and create a “Xanadu”.
Different from traditional theme park projects, Sands Cove International Park is an innovative format and model that puts “customer experience” in the most important position. This is also an important “secret” that Noble said is different from traditional theme parks. Noble believes that customer experience is the center of work, adheres to the philosophy of visitor experience, finds out the most real needs of tourists through a large number of researches, and creates an innovative theme park that truly meets the needs of tourists through the innovative design of an international professional team.
Ocean Wonders (Aquarium) is inspired by “rocks and caves eroded by sea water”
Noble introduced that the products of many theme parks in China are very similar, and the goal is to build the fastest roller coaster or the largest park, etc. This kind of cultural tourism developers, especially real estate companies, all want to do what they are good at. The focus of many domestic parks is still large-scale amusement equipment, such as jumping machines, roller coasters, etc., while Disney, Universal Studios and other international giants, their focus has never been to be the biggest, tallest, and fastest, but how to bring them to customers. best experience ever.
“Customers will not clearly say what they want, but they will say which needs have not been met. The cultural tourism products on the market meet the basic needs of tourists, but there are still many needs that have not been met.” Noble On the one hand, tourists want to go to a place that makes them feel like they are elsewhere, and on the other hand, tourists want to have a completely different experience.
Throughout China, many theme park projects blindly pursue “first” in planning and design, imitating Disney, Universal Studios and other internationally renowned theme parks, but they lack strong innovation and creativity. Although many domestic projects have huge investment, and there are not a few theme park projects with an investment of more than 50 billion yuan, there are very few of them that can operate well in the end, let alone comparable to international theme park brands.
Mars Mission Base (Future Pavilion)
“Others may be imitating, but we are trying to innovate.” Noble’s words left a deep impression on the author. As the birthplace of creativity and innovation, Shenzhen is regarded as the originator of many different business types or products, and even the cultural and travel industry in China. This is also Noble’s confidence in creating an innovative Sands Bay International Paradise. Shenzhen has gathered international innovative talents, and Jinshawan International Paradise has also gathered global experts to create international products. Noble revealed that the design of the Sands Bay International Paradise has been completed and construction is currently underway. Since the end of 2018, some buildings have been exposed to the ground.
The original IP story is based on “Shan Hai Jing”
“What we create is an original story with a Chinese flavor, a high-quality international cultural tourism product.” In the interview, Noble proudly said that many people think that this kind of international product can only be seen abroad, and China’s This standard is not met, but Jinshawan International Paradise has not only achieved it, but also incorporated Chinese elements, so that tourists can truly experience international high-quality products.
The original IP of Jinshawan International Paradise is “Looking for the Kun”, which is based on the “Kunpeng Spreading its Wings” in “Xiaoyaoyou”, based on “Shan Hai Jing” and the local cultural background of Dapeng, with tourists as the core, ecological protection and cultural inheritance as the core. The original IP story created by the mission.
Jinshawan International Paradise is planned to have five themed amusement halls, Central Park, Great Lakes Show and multiple hotel brands such as Marriott, Hyatt, and W. Among them, the five themed pavilions are the core of Jinshawan International Paradise, and they are Dapeng Dream Forest (children’s Pavilion), Mars Mission Base (Future Pavilion), Ocean Wonderland (Ocean Pavilion), Xuanwu Fishing Village (Water Park), Northern Lights Tribe (Ice and Snow Pavilion).
Binhai Commercial District
According to the plan, unlike most traditional theme parks, Jinshawan International Park does not adopt the “one-ticket system”. Each theme pavilion in the scenic area is charged separately, leaving the right for customers to choose. Visitors to Jinshawan International Paradise can experience different eating, drinking, entertainment and themed projects, and can also freely match the desired experience. “That’s our strategy, and we hope to attract more people,” Noble said.
Statistics show that the Jinshawan International Paradise project has a 2.2-kilometer sandy beach, high-quality sea water and a vast bay. Among them, the Central Park is an international coastal ecological characteristic park with the theme of ecology and marine culture, integrating leisure, entertainment, sightseeing, fitness, parties, outings, popular science and other activities.
central Park
Visitors can enter the public area of Jinshawan International Paradise for free to experience many exciting projects, which will be a great attraction for tourists. When night falls, the Great Lakes show “The Story of the Kun” will be staged in a stunning way, integrating drama, dance, music, magic, light show and other art forms, and it will be open to the public free of charge, providing tourists with richer experience choices.
The charging model of Jinshawan International Paradise gives tourists a great choice, which may easily bring a considerable number of tourists to the scenic spot. But at the same time, this will be a great challenge to any of the five theme pavilions, requiring each theme pavilion to have its own characteristics, so as not to become a “left out” theme pavilion. “Each of our venues has its own highlights, and each venue has a clear distinction, and there will be no repetition.” Noble introduced that the story lines of the five venues represent five related ecological environments that need to be protected.
Dapeng Dream Forest (Children’s Pavilion)
Among them, Dapeng Dream Forest is a large-scale indoor children’s activity world, which cultivates children’s abilities through games. The Mars mission base is a large-scale indoor interactive experiential amusement complex, with 9 amusement projects such as flying over Mars. Ocean Wonderland is an indoor marine cultural and ecological science popularization base, exploring the wonderful night of the aquarium. Xuanwu Fishing Village’s outdoor interactive water park allows visitors to interact with marine life. The Northern Lights Tribe is an indoor ice and snow theme pavilion, and the polar appreciation of the Northern Lights is a highlight of Jinshawan International Park.
“When we conducted market research, the interviewees were very interested in admiring the Northern Lights. They even said that if they could see the Northern Lights, the ticket price would be very worthwhile.” Noble shared his findings in the interview. In addition, the architectural design of the hotels in Jinshawan International Paradise is inspired by the geographical location of the Dapeng Peninsula and the spirit of the story of “Looking for the Kun”.
Northern Lights Tribe (Ice and Snow Museum), visitors can experience the Northern Lights.
The Sands Cove International Paradise, created by an international professional team, taps the strong local culture of Dapeng. Can the tourist experience it strives to create make consumers pay? What is certain is that Kaisa is on the road of hard work and innovation, trying to provide tourists with an unprecedented experience.
