Polin's combo waterslides at the new waterpark in Johor help attract the tourists so vital to the country's development efforts
Fun is serious business in Malaysia. The country has targeted the tourism sector as an area in which to encourage investment, and the theme park industry has taken note. The result has been a boom in amusement park development. The most recent achievement? The opening of Austin Heights Water and Adventure Park in Johor, Malaysia.
The waterpark will no doubt help spur additional growth in the area's increasing tourism sector. During the first six months of 2015, the state already had recorded an improvement of 12.81 percent in visitors, allowing state officials to identify Johor as a top destination among tourists. Domestic visitors currently outnumber foreigners, but new attractions - including now Austin Heights Water and Adventure Park - will undoubtedly increase the number of international guests.
The trend of amusement park growth is not limited to Malaysia. Asia as a whole has seen a significant escalation in the sector.
A colorful wonderland of fun
Austin Heights Waterpark opened in January 2016 and expects to serve close to 300,000 visits in its first year. The tropical-themed park offers 12 outdoor attractions in a 33,450-square-meter (360,052.8-square-feet) area on 8 hectares (19.8 acres) of land, along with a variety of indoor options such as adventure park, trampoline park, tropical skating rink and drift kart. Unique combination waterslides designed and installed by Polin Waterparks also set the park apart from other venues.
Park is hosting Polin's Black Hole & Turbolance Fusion Waterslide as one of the signature rides. Along with Polin's Multi Surf, Flying Boats and Uphill Flying Boats, Racer Twin Space Boat, and Black Hole and Flying Boats Combination - plus an Aquatower in the kids' Paradise Island section - they have a multitude of options to get their adrenaline pumping.
The features of the premiere offerings include:
- Black Hole & Turbolance Combo Waterslide: A truly unique fusion waterslide
- Multi Surf: Guests slide on their bellies on racing mats in head-to-head competitions on this action-oriented attraction.
- Flying Boats and Uphill Flying Boats: Austin Heights offers both versions of this attraction: both its downhill option along with its uphill, rollercoaster-style ride, which propels guests along a slide path on jetted water. Whichever ride guests brave, they experience a journey of surprises, rushing downhill, uphill and then ending in a surprise drop.
- Racer Twin Space Boat: This competitive attraction has an innovative, circular slide path that allows two double-tubes to compete side by side. The two-rider rafts provide a high-capacity attraction that keeps the adrenaline pumping during the ride's twisting, turning path before guests exit into a huge open bowl. Guests continue swirling around the insides of the bowl before exiting out the center hole and down the final slide.
- Black Hole & Flying Boats Combo Waterslide: This combo option takes Polin's Black Hole slide and fuses it with its Flying Boats design. The thrilling combination creates a unique slide path that shoots riders along a high-speed, special-effects-fueled ride and continues the thrill with additional rushes up-and-down before a final downhill and unexpected drop.
- Aquatower (Water Play Structure): Designed especially for the park's youngest guests, Polin's Aquatower at the park incorporates play-enhanced creative activities to keep little ones busy. The oversized attraction includes lots of unique attractions that can be specially designed to match any park's theming.
Future enhancements will keep guests coming back
The waterslides are the main attraction at Austin Heights, but its founder and managing director Dato' Ir Steve Chong Yoon On says they are only the beginning.
"We're already planning more exciting facilities to complement our existing ones," he says. "The new additions include an enrichment park, a 300-room hotel, a village mall and an international convention and banquet hall."
He says those enhancements should be completed by the end of 2016 and have a gross development value of about RM140 million (US$34 million).
The waterpark is a key part of getting the project moving successfully in the right direction. However, Dato' Ir Steve Chong Yoon On, the owner, says he appreciated how Polin's expertise made the entire project so smooth. "We felt confident from the beginning that partnering with Polin was the right choice. Their experience proved to be extremely valuable in all areas of the project's ultimate success," he adds.