Hello Kitty draws crowd to the park

Sales figures at the Hello Kitty souvenir shop continue to grow steadily. 

NUSAJAYA: Themed Attractions and Resorts Sdn Bhd (TAR) chief executive officer Tunku Datuk Ahmad Burhanuddin Tunku Adnan said the initial figure was a testament to the the park's attraction to local and foreign tourists.

TAR is the project developer for the various themed attractions at the four-storey theme park and Legoland Malaysia.

Tunku Burhanuddin said about 70 per cent of the 50,000 visitors to the new theme park are local, while the remaining are foreigners including those from Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.

"It is now the school holidays for Malaysia and Singapore, and we continually see an influx of visitors who are coming from out of town. Not only are they arriving from Kuala Lumpur but also from Penang and further up north," said Tunku Burhanuddin during a media briefing at the official opening of the Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park here last Thursday.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, who represented Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was the guest-of-honour at the opening ceremony.

Tunku Burhanuddin said the new theme park was something that would appeal to families and give them an opportunity to bond. He said visitors were particularly interested in buying genuine Hello Kitty merchandise, and this was reflected in the sales figures of their souvenir store.

Tunku Burhanuddin added that another attraction called Lat's Place would begin operations by the end of the month, and it would give visitors a unique interactive experience with characters from the famous cartoonists' repertoire.

"It's the first of its kind as it is an interactive section that allows visitors to be fully immersed in Lat's characters and their life. It would have a nostalgic element as it would show how people live in the kampung. "Local fare and popular dishes in the region will be served at Lat's Place," he said.

Meanwhile, TAR chief marketing officer Phillip Whitaker said promotional packages that will include both Legoland Malaysia and Puteri Harbour were also being developed. "We may think Puteri Harbour appeals mostly to children, but even my 16-year-old son enjoys it as he remembers characters such as Barney and its theme song from his childhood," said Whitaker.

While the Sanrio Hello Kitty Town features the famous cat and its friends, the Little Big Club features popular children's characters Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Barney and Thomas & Friends.

-nst online.