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MUMBAI:
ImagiNation Edutainment India, a joint venture between Singapore
based Kidz Inc and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, will set
up an indoor theme park in Mumbai in April 2013 under the
KidZania brand.
The
Mexican edutainment brand has given the India franchise rights
to ImagiNation, a company in which the Bollywood superstar
owns 26 per cent stake and KidZ Inc the remaining 74 per cent.
KidZania
will soon open the first indoor theme park at R City Mall
in the eastern suburbs of Mumbai.
KidZania
is an edutainment concept that combines education and entertainment
engaging kids between 4 to 14 years with environmental stewardship,
career exploration and social consciousness activities. It
is exclusively designed to help kids strengthen their ability
to manage their world through key aspects of learning ranging
from society functions, financial literacy, adult professions,
team work, independence, real life skills and self-esteem.
The
city for children is spread across 75,000 square feet, and
will have buildings, paved streets, vehicles and recognizable
destinations, offering kids more than 75 role-playing options
in its 60 establishments.
Following
Mumbai, KidZania will launch centers in the National Capital
Region (NCR) and Bengaluru.
Speaking
on his association, KidZania India co-promoter Shah Rukh Khan
said, "I am proud to be part of the team bringing KidZania
into India, as I know it will make a difference to the children
here. As a parent, I realise that children are most receptive
when they are having fun, so a platform like KidZania that
brings entertainment and education together will add value
to their lives. India is a young country and we need to focus
on building a strong future - KidZania will in many ways provide
that by building awareness amongst our children through an
experience that is hands-on, engaging, educational, and most
importantly, fun."
KidZania's
revenue stream includes tickets, corporate events and CSR
activities among others. The entry ticket for the kids will
be in the range of Rs 700 for five hours.
Speaking
on the India foray, KidZania Director and CEO Sanjeev Kumar
said, "Brands are a key component of the experience as
they make it authentic by linking it to the real world. We
are looking at partnering with brands that are aligned to
the KidZania philosophy of developing the future of children."
Headquartered
in Mexico, KidZania was founded in 1996 by a young entrepreneur,
Xavier Lopez, who dreamt of creating a place where kids could
have fun while enjoying real life experiences. Till date,
KidZania has a footprint in seven countries worldwide across
11 centers, with 12 more centers under development and to
be launched by 2014.
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