Universal Studios mulls Chiayi theme park

How do you attract Taiwanese movie goers to a Universal Studios (環球電影) theme park located in rural Chiayi County? Build it next to the high-speed railway currently under construction.

The entertainment project -- to open a movie studio and theme park in Chiayi County -- would be designed to coincide with the 2005 completion date of the island's North-South high-speed railway, a Chiayi County Government official told the Taipei Times yesterday by phone.

"People from Universal Studios have come to Chiayi three times to evaluate the feasibility of building a theme park in Chiayi," said Tseng Han-chou (曾漢洲), director of Bureau of Reconstruction (建設局).

The proposed site for the theme park is located near the Taipao (太保) station of the planned high-speed railway.

"They told us that Chiayi has a potential to develop the theme park and, with their expertise, they can help us make the place look more beautiful," Tseng said.

According to Tseng, a group of more than 10 Universal Studio executives led by Yoji Yamamoto (山本洋司), head of the company's Asia Pacific business, arrived in the southern county Monday and met with Chiayi County Magistrate Li Ya-ching (李雅景).

Accompanied by Li and several county government officials including Tseng himself, the Universal Studio delegation visited the proposed site for the park and the nearby Putai Port (布袋港).

The land -- owned by the Taiwan Sugar Corp (台糖) -- would cover 28.24-hectares with an additional 8.84-hectare sector reserved for the development of a shopping mall, Tseng said.

According to Tseng, the unconfirmed plan is still in the early proposal stages, as the two sides -- Universal Studios and the Chiayi County Government -- have thus far only exchanged ideas on how to make the dream a reality.

"For this kind of big investment, they [Universal Studios] really need time to assess the plan thoroughly," he stressed.

Investors are concerned about whether the region could supply the workforce necessary to support the park and whether local authorities can assist in moving forward the public infrastructure projects needed for park in the future, including the high-speed rail and mass rapid transit systems connecting the railway station and the city of Chiayi.

Asked how long it would take the US company to finalize a decision on whether to invest in Chiayi, Tseng responded that it may only need a couple of weeks. But "the possibility exists and they [Universal Studios] have expressed the intention to showcase and create the best of Hollywood entertainment, right here in Chiayi."