CJMY
ESCAPE Penang held its tenth-anniversary celebrations yesterday on a grand scale, which included the launch of two brand-new attractions.
These include Malaysia’s very own Ski Slope – the first-of-its-kind in Penang’s tropical setting; and a Dead Sea Pool, in which visitors can naturally float, much like in Jordan’s Dead Sea, marking two more game-changing attractions in ESCAPE Penang.
Penang State EXCO officially launched Tourism and Creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin. Also in attendance were Dato’ Sim Choo Kheng, Founder and Executive Chairman of Sim Leisure Group, proprietor and operator of the ESCAPE brand of theme parks.
“I am truly glad that Sim Leisure Group, through the inception and development of ESCAPE Penang over the last ten years, has answered the call to put Penang on the world map with such a world-class destination.
“Indeed, the ESCAPE brand – with its wings now spread around the globe – is a true success story, which started right here by our very own Penang Boy himself, Dato’ Sim Choo Kheng,” said Yeoh.
“I do not doubt that ESCAPE Penang has and will continue to be a tourist magnet for visitors for decades to come, as proven by the millions of visitors who have visited this park.
“I was thrilled to know that Penang will now be home to Malaysia’s first Ski Slope and Dead Sea Pool, all thanks to ESCAPE Penang. I am so happy to witness them for myself today, finally.
“With these new attractions, ESCAPE Penang has once again raised the bar for developing tourism in Penang,” he added.
The 302-metre-long Ski Slope is an outdoor man-made ski slope that runs downhill created from a special material that allows skis and snowboards to slide effortlessly – all without any snow.
In a true testament to Sim Leisure Group’s creativity and commitment to the environment, the Ski Slope is laid over a defunct road on what was once a Teluk Bahang Dam construction site.
As with all other attractions in ESCAPE Penang, every effort was made to repurpose existing infrastructure while preserving the park’s natural environment.
Meanwhile, The Dead Sea Pool mimics the famous Salt Lake in Jordan, which it is named after. The pool’s high salinity content allows visitors to float naturally in the pool. And now, for the first time, visitors can experience both phenomenal attractions for themselves at ESCAPE Penang.
“Here we are, ten years after the ESCAPE brand was conceptualised in ESCAPE Penang. It has been a long journey for us, but as you can see, we are not like other theme parks. We dared to be different, answering the call for reimagined play experiences.
“Today, we still stick to the tried and tested concept of rediscovering childhood while promoting a connection with nature. And we meant it.
“When developing this park, we made every effort not to affect the natural lush greenery you can see around the park. We even planted more trees!” said Dato’ Sim Choo Kheng.
“Our success today – fuelled by creativity and passion – has changed the face of conventional theme parks while playing a vital role in promoting tourism in Penang and Malaysia. But while not resting on our laurels, we continue to evolve with the times, creating new experiences for our visitors.
So, even as we celebrate ten years of ESCAPE Penang with these new attractions, we continue to look to the future. Let me say that ESCAPE is here to stay, and we’ll continue to evolve with the times, giving unique play experiences for generations to come, not only here in Penang,” he added.
As the pioneer of the now world-famous ESCAPE brand of theme parks, ESCAPE Penang has not only set the benchmark with its “low tech, high fun” approach to playing. Still, it has also continuously raised the bar with its unique offerings, including two Guinness Record Breaking attractions – the World’s Longest Water Tube Slide and the World’s Longest Zip Coaster.
Today, the ESCAPE brand of theme parks is represented by ESCAPE Penang and the brand’s very own mall attraction, ESCAPE Challenge, in Petaling Jaya. The brand will soon see the opening of new parks in Ipoh, Cameron Highlands, and even outside Malaysia. The first international ESCAPE Park planned to be opened in Sri Lanka and ongoing projects in Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and China.
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