Boosting customer traffic through new attractions, facility upgrades, and new products

「At Greenland in Kyushu, as the park approached its 60th anniversary, we worked to improve the visitor experience by renewing facilities and strengthening events. We introduced the new ZOMBIE STORM attraction using the latest XR technology and reopened 2 attractions and 1 in-park food-service outlet following renovations. We also revised attraction annual-pass prices from March to strengthen the revenue base.」

「As a new customer-acquisition draw, we decided to introduce a roller coaster. The planned coaster is a rare hybrid model in Japan, comprising steel supports and a wooden track. As it will be the first roller coaster introduced in Kyushu, we expect it to increase attendance and generate additional revenue across the amusement park. The coaster will be introduced through a joint investment with Sanoyas Ride Co., Ltd., a tenant at the amusement park.」

「We introduced the new attraction Submarine Shooting. At the seasonal Water Park pool, we reopened the Wave Pool, which had been suspended during the pandemic, and held special shows featuring water cannons, helping attract visitors during the extremely hot summer holidays.」

「In March, we opened the new attraction Submarine Shooting, renovated in-park shops, and worked to improve the park’s overall scenery and appeal. We also entered into a business alliance with a travel reservation company with a strong customer base in East Asia, including Taiwan, to expand inbound customer traffic. As a result, visitor numbers decreased by 51,950 year on year to 344,414, and revenue decreased by ¥78,987 thousand to ¥1,071,039 thousand.」

「At the Kyushu amusement park, admission and annual-pass prices were revised from March of the previous year, and parking fees were revised from March of the current year, increasing average spend per visitor. However, visitor numbers declined due to poor weather during the spring holidays and the strong visitor numbers in the prior-year period supported by the nationwide travel support program.」

「At Greenland in Kyushu, we positioned events that could be experienced only at the park as a core customer-acquisition initiative and held a variety of events throughout the year. These included the Hirogaru Sky! Precure floor event during the spring leisure season, the original Kamen Rider Geats Battle Stage, and HANABI Fantasia: The Dawn of a New Fireworks Era, a 12,000-firework display among the largest in the park’s history.」

「The Kyushu amusement park held topical seasonal events, renovated attractions, and expanded the pool area in summer, significantly increasing visitor numbers. It also worked to enhance the appeal of its facilities by opening new food-service outlets and rebuilding a restaurant, while strengthening its revenue base through revisions to admission fees.」

「In March, we held HANABI Fantasia: The Dawn of a New Fireworks Era, featuring 12,000 fireworks, among the largest number ever used at the park, together with the latest launching technology. During Golden Week, we also held topical events, including a gathering of Kamen Rider characters from across the series.」

「At the Kyushu amusement park, visitor numbers increased substantially because there were no restrictions on movement this year and the nationwide travel support program continued, despite the impact of restrictions in the previous year. Average spend per visitor also increased following revisions to admission and annual-pass prices.」

「In April, we introduced 3 family-oriented attractions, including Ducks, and in July reopened the shooting attraction Water Shot following renovations.」

「The Kyushu amusement park experienced a temporary slowdown in visitor numbers due to the nationwide application of priority preventive measures during the winter COVID-19 wave. However, visitor numbers increased substantially as customer traffic recovered steadily during busy periods such as school holidays, Golden Week, and the summer holidays.」

「To increase the park’s appeal, we introduced 3 new family-oriented attractions, including Ducks, to coincide with the peak Golden Week period, and operated limited-time attractions such as Gem Hunt and Big Air Playland.」

「For the attractions, we installed the giant inflatable play facility BIG Air Playland as a limited-time spring attraction and introduced the new Bang! Bang!! Bazooka attraction in July.」

「At the Kyushu amusement park, reservations by various group customers were repeatedly postponed or cancelled as COVID-19 spread. Events had to be postponed or reduced in scale due to capacity restrictions and requests to shorten operating hours. Visitor numbers remained subdued despite exceeding the previous year, when the park was temporarily closed during the spring holiday season, including Golden Week, and were also affected by the prolonged rain and heavy rainfall in northern Kyushu during the busy month of August.」

「At Greenland in Kyushu, as we approached the milestone of the park’s 55th anniversary, we commissioned a popular illustrator to create the original character Yu Senshi Grilander. We promoted the anniversary in various ways, including distributing commemorative stickers to visitors and conducting promotional activities online.」

「In spring, we held 3 major events featuring highly topical themes to attract a broad range of target customers.」

「The Kyushu amusement park showed signs of recovery in individual and school-group visits, including during the 4-day holiday period, from September onward. However, visitor numbers declined significantly due to the cancellation of some events to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and the impact of temporary closures during the period, including Golden Week.」

「We also opened Cosmic Maze, an attraction appearing in Japan for the first time that offers a mysterious and fantastical experience with space as its theme.」

「For the attractions, we reopened Super Shooting Ride: Monster Heroes, Western Train: Bad Monster Busters, and Laser Shooting in spring as 3 major shooting attractions following renovations. In summer, we introduced the new attraction Good Job Operation, appearing in Japan for the first time, and operated the Water Park pool at night for the first time under the name Night Pool from 10 to 18 August.」

「The Group’s performance benefited from various initiatives to increase customer traffic, centered on the longest Golden Week holiday period on record at 10 days. Visitor numbers increased at the Kyushu amusement park, all 3 golf courses, and the Hokkaido amusement park.」

「The ski resort in Hokkaido generated revenue broadly in line with the previous year due to lower visitor numbers. However, the Kyushu amusement park benefited from greater recognition generated by the popularity of a film released nationwide last year and favorable weather throughout the period, bringing visitor numbers to their highest level in 10 years. As a result, segment revenue increased by ¥138,875 thousand, or 19.3%, year on year, to ¥857,399 thousand.」

「To further enhance the appeal of the facilities, we introduced the new Kururun Tower attraction and installed an observation deck at Panorama Mountain, offering a new refreshing place to relax with panoramic views of the park.」

「At Greenland in Kyushu, as part of efforts to increase winter visitors, we held the Illumination Event: Fantasy of Light throughout the winter holiday period and every weekend. Visitors enjoyed a fantastical nighttime amusement park at more than 100 illumination spots throughout the park, including the newly introduced Sky Lift Light Carpet.」

「As a result, segment revenue increased by ¥493,873 thousand, or 17.2% year on year, to ¥3,369,085 thousand. Segment profit increased by ¥253,109 thousand, or 83.2%, to ¥557,458 thousand, helped by improved profitability resulting from the efficient implementation of events and advertising.」

「In spring, we held an interactive attraction event themed around a hugely popular anime series, titled “Dragon Ball Super Training Challenge! — Train to Become as Strong as Goku!” The event was particularly lively with families. In addition, on weekends and public holidays we held the “Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Battle Stage,” a powerful show featuring a giant approximately 230-inch LED screen.」

「In terms of facilities, we introduced the new attractions “Pteranodon,” “Excite Grand Prix,” “Doki Doki Haunted House: Dororon Hospital,” and “Ball Shoot,” and focused on creating facilities that could be enjoyed by three-generation families, from young children to grandparents.」

「The introduction of new attractions, expansion of illumination facilities, and development of new products such as annual unlimited passes proved effective. Customer traffic remained solid during the spring holiday period, including on the day of the fireworks display commemorating the 50th anniversary of the park's opening, and performance remained strong through March.」