Dutch-inspired theme park, Huis Ten Bosch, the planned site for an integrated resort in Nagasaki’s Sasebo City, has posted an operating loss of JPY218 million (US$2 million) for the year ended 31 March 2021, down from a profit of JPY160 million (US$1.5 million) recorded in FY2020.
The reasons given were Japan’s “third wave” of COVID-19 and the suspension of the government’s tourism support project “Go To Travel” in December of last year.
Transaction volume, indicating the park’s sales, decreased by 17.6% year-on-year to JPY7.65 billion (US$69.8 million). This is the lowest since 2010, when it became part of travel giant HIS. Ordinary income decreased 36% to JPY415 million (US$3.8 million) while net income increased by 48.2% to JPY644 million (US$5.9 million).
The total number of visitors decreased by 23.3% to 799,000 visitors and the number of overseas visitors was reported to be zero for the first time since its opening.
President Katsuhiko Sakaguchi expressed his expectation that there would be a recovery in business performance as the country learns to live with COVID-19, adding that he was considering mandatory vaccination in the workplace. He also revealed the company is planning a stock market listing in 2023.
As part of its long-term operating plans, Huis Ten Bosch revealed that in May it acquired all shares of the operating company of the Watermark Hotel Nagasaki/Huis Ten Bosch.
Since the hotel is located in the theme park, it was decided at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 23 April that it would be possible to build the Huis Ten Bosch brand and develop linked products by joining the hotel with the Huis Ten Bosch group.
The hotel has been operated by Huis Ten Bosch under the name Hotel Den Haag since the opening of the theme park in 1992. Since 2011, it has run as Watermark Hotel Nagasaki as part of the HIS group.
The candidate site for a Nagasaki IR is 30 hectares of land located on the western side of Huis Ten Bosch.
Three operators remain in the running to be named Nagasaki’s IR partner: Oshidori Consortium, Casinos Austria International Japan and the NIKI Chyau Fwu group.
The deadline for the second screening is 21 June with the successful operator to be named in August.
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