Eco-park coming up in Riau Islands

Tee Zhuo The Straits Times AsiaOne 21 Jun 14;

A giant new eco-park will soon be just a short boat ride away, after a local firm inked a deal with a theme park operator to build the new attraction yesterday.

Singapore's Funtasy Island Development (FID) and theme park specialist Seven Seas signed an equal-stake joint venture agreement to develop the 300ha park in Indonesia's Riau Islands.

When completed in 2017, the $200 million park will feature mangrove tours, an underwater viewing aquarium, an avian sanctuary and a dolphin habitat.

It will be a short 20-minute ferry ride away from Singapore and is aimed at families here looking for a short getaway, said FID managing director Michael Yong.

"Our purpose is not to change the natural environment. In fact, 70 per cent of the island will be conserved as natural sanctuaries, with facilities and infrastructure occupying only 30 per cent."

The theme park is expected to attract over one million visitors a year, although the operators have decided to keep visitors to below 1.5 million annually to preserve the island's natural environment.

FID expects 40 per cent of visitors will stay on the island, including at accommodation managed by Meritus Hotels & Resorts. The others will be day-trippers.

The theme park is the latest addition to the $300 million Funtasy Island project, which occupies a cluster of six islands. FID was established in 2010 to manage and market the project developed by PT Batam Island Marina.

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