USA/GB: Timbalaya Signs First Franchise Deal for Outdoor Experience Concept with Kuwait’s TEC

Two years ago, Timbalaya Ltd., which is represented with branches in the US and UK, introduced its equally named outdoor experience concept, based on a children’s book (cf. EAP news from November 16^th, 2015) to the industry. Recently, the company has signed its first franchise deal for the “Timbalaya” attraction with Kuwait’s Touristic Enterprises Company. Construction works for the approx. 4.5 million Euro (four million British Pounds) outdoor play park are scheduled to start next year, with an opening in late 2019 or early 2020.

Sylvia Matiko, member of the operating team of Timbalaya Ltd., is proud of the company’s first franchise deal: “We’re excited to see the very first Timbalaya going to Kuwait. We have had several groups interested in building a Timbalaya attraction, but TEC has just moved faster and as a result Kuwait will be the first to enjoy this incredible experience,” said Matiko.

Timbalaya is revolved on a children’s adventure story, featuring the “Village of Wishing” – the attraction will bring scenes of the book to life to encourage the kids’ imagination and creativity. Abdul Wahab Al-Marzouq, CEO of TEC, is convinced of the future success of this concept: “As part of our development and expansion plans at TEC, we are always looking to partner with experts from around the globe […]. Timbalaya is a fresh idea and new concept that we felt would be a perfect fit, and would give us a completely new experience that we have not seen before in this region,” he said.

However, the design of the first Timbalaya attraction will not be the same as the design planned for potential European projects, which are currently under discussion. “There’s no cookie cutter approach to Timbalaya,” promised Matiko’s colleague, Nick Farmer. He continued, “The Kuwait attraction will without doubt be different to the designs being considered in Europe at the moment. The landscape is a unique mix of desert, palm trees and arid region greenery, and of course Kuwait enjoys almost 500 kilometers of coastline along the Arabian Gulf, which gives it a very particular feel. This together with the challenges of a climate that can become very hot in the summer, although not all year, will certainly keep our design team busy over the coming months. But what a lovely project to have – we can’t wait to get started,” said Farmer. (eap)