Universal Studios Manila & Manila Eye

Theme park at Genting Highlands in Malaysia

I am so excited by this very good news I read in the Philippine Star broadsheet. The Genting Berhad Group secured the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.(Pagcor)’s aprroval for its proposed project within the Las Vegas-like Bagong Nayong Pilipino-Manila Bay Integrated Tourism City which apparently will be call Universal Studios Manila as Genting holds the exclusive development rights of Universal Studios in Asia.

The company plans to invest $3 billion in the Manila Bay Integrated City, the Philippines’ biggest tourism development project.

Last year I have been to the Genting Highlands Resort near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and I was impressed as it is like Baguio as it is on a plateau with a very big theme park with casinos and several hotels for guests wanting to stay overnight.

Genting Berhard Group’s proposal includes the development of leisure and entertainment facilities including a theme park, state-of-the-art theaters, amusement and cultural centers, retail and gaming center and hotels.

Universal Studio’s movie-theme Hollywood park has 13 attractions based on movies including Shrek, Jurassic Park and The Terminator. Excluding its restaurants and theaters, the theme park alone draws about four million visitors a year.

Besides Hollywood, Universal Studios has other parks in Orlando, Barcelona and Osaka, Japan.

Another investor group, Aruze Corp. of Japan is planning to put up an integrated resort featuring a hotel with 2,000 standard rooms and 300 VIP suites; a major oceanarium targeted to be the world’s largest; theaters, a sports arena, a Holy museum and a giant ferris wheel similar to the London Eye to be known as the Manila Eye.

So what's next? Disneyland Manila or Six Flags Manila? Why not!