KidZania Singapore operator Sim Leisure dreams of creating Asia’s theme parks of tomorrow

WHEN indoor edu-tainment park KidZania Kuala Lumpur was looking for a buyer during the Covid-19 pandemic, Sim Leisure Group’s founder and executive chairman Sim Choo Kheng saw an opportunity to turn the ailing attraction around.

He had long admired the career role-playing aspect of the KidZania brand owned by a Mexican company and franchised globally, and believed it was a good fit for Asian families, who are concerned about their children’s future.

The group paid RM3.8 million (S$1.2 million) for the entire stake in the loss-making operator, a company linked to Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional.