Chinese Company Plans $400 Million Theme Park On Gold Coast

The call of Australia’s tourism sector is difficult to resist for some, as news broke this week that a Chinese entertainment company is intending to build a $400 million theme park on the Gold Coast.

Shenzhen-listed company Songcheng Performance Development, which is little known in Australia, won board approval for its local arm to build “The Australia Legendary Kingdom” project at Nerang on the Gold Coast.

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A theme park on the Gold Coast will be the very first overseas project for the ambitious company, and may well be the stepping stone for a future in international operations if things go well.

According to The Australian, the theme park will feature a world class “Australian Legend” performance and the theme park will offer different precincts including “Australian Aboriginal Cultural Village”, “Wild Australia” and “Mysterious Orient”.

The ultimate goal for the proposed theme park, according to Songcheng, is to provide an outlet for the combination of Australian and oriental cultures, based on the demand for tourism offerings from both local and international travelers. This demand comes from Chinese tourist arrivals in Australia which topped 1.17 million in the year ended September – a number that is growing at more than 20 per cent annually.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate told the ABC the proposed new theme park would be a welcome addition to the area.

"I don't think it's ever a bad time to start talking about enhancing our tourism infrastructure," he said.

"This theme park will be something different — it is one of those ones that is focusing on culture."Mayor Tate will meet with Songcheng executives later this year and as a result a development application could be completed by midway through next year.