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ANNUAL REPORT 2015
HAW PAR CORPORATION LIMITED
T I G E R B A LM ON L I N E AC T I V I T I E S
O P E R AT I ON S R E V I EW -
L E I S U R E
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In 2015, Underwater World Pattaya (UWP) focused its
marketing efforts on growing tourist markets such as India
and China which saw double-digit growth year-on-year,
while Underwater World Singapore (UWS) continued to
have a firm grip on its stronghold markets, even as both
facilities experienced headwinds this year.
Events across Southeast Asia, notably the terrorist attack
in Bangkok in August, flash floods in Pattaya in September
and the prolonged haze which enveloped Singapore for two
months, resulted in a drop in the number of visitors to the
region. Stiff competition from existing and new attractions,
including direct competitors within the immediate vicinity
of UWP and UWS and the region, continued to impact the
performance of the two aquariums.
Concerted efforts were made to further develop alternative
sources of visitors and revenue streams. To attract tourists
from the region, UWP advertised at the U-Tapao Airport,
a local civil-military airport recently opened to commercial
flights from the region, including Singapore, flying directly
to Pattaya. UWP was also one of the six attractions in Pattaya
selected by the Tourism Authority of Thailand to be featured
in a media campaign to promote Pattaya as a weekend
destination for tourists from Myanmar taking direct flights
to Pattaya.
Building on their strengths in edutainment, UWP and UWS
conducted outreach programmes to schools, both locally and
beyond, to boost schools’ take-up rate of their educational
offerings and grow revenue from in-house programmes.
UWS’ Living-in-the-Ocean Sleepover programme offered at
the Singapore Science Festival in July received good reviews.
Throughout the year, both aquariums rolled out unique
events to generate publicity. New exhibits with mass appeal
were also introduced to enrich guest experience and
increase visitation. During the Songkran Festival in April,
UWP launched one of the largest showcases of clownfish
in the world featuring 21 out of 28 known species, of
which 15 species are only available at UWP within Thailand.
In November, UWS celebrated an early Christmas with the
launch of an unusual ‘Christmas Fashion Show’ by the
Decorator Crabs. Named by National Geographic as one
of ‘Nature’s best-dressed animals’, the Decorator Crab
‘decorate’ itself by attaching materials from its surroundings
onto its shell to avoid predators.
The outlook for 2016 remains challenging given the intense
competition in the tourism industry and the possibility
of political and natural events affecting tourist arrivals.
UWP and UWS will stay resilient and continue to focus on
amplifying its unique propositions.
Decorator Crab at Underwater World
Singapore in its Christmas best:
One of Nature’s Best-dressed Animals
Nemos at Underwater World Pattaya:
One of the World’s Largest Showcases
of Clownfish
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