Line Corp, creator of the Line messaging app, plans to inaugurate an indoor digital theme park in Thailand’s capital, seeking to squeeze the maximum advantage from its popularity in the nation, its second-biggest market after Japan.
Line Village Bangkok began operating yesterday as a retail store, selling dolls and similar merchandise, but later this year is to expand to a three-story amusement complex with virtual-reality rides.
Line stores already exist in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and China, but the Thai location is to be the first with an indoor park.
Project chief executive officer Kampanart Wonghongkul said he hopes that the 500 million baht (US$14.7 million) theme park would attract more than 12 million visitors per year.
Tourism is a major revenue earner in Thailand, bringing in US$71.4 billion last year.
Much of Line’s appeal comes from its stickers, which can be attached to messages, especially the company’s anthropomorphic animal figures, such as Brown the bear and Cony the rabbit.
Line Village is in Siam Square, a hangout for young Thais who enjoy fashion and the culture of cute — there is already a Hello Kitty cafe there.
Since its launch in 2011, Japan-based, South Korean-owned Line has amassed more than 200 million users worldwide.
Thailand has about 44 million cellphone users and 94 percent of them have the Line app, Kampanart said.
Sakdipat Thanee, a 27-year-old lawyer, was one of several shoppers invited for a special store preview on Thursday.
“I think it’s hard to find Line merchandise in Thailand,” he said. “You can only buy them from aboard or ask someone to bring them in. For people who love Line characters like me, having a Line store here means that I can easily shop here. I can meet Brown and Cony much more easily.”
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