Founder of Chimelong Group becomes first Asian winner of prestigious industry award
- Su Zhigang receives lifetime achievement award at the Themed Entertainment Association’s annual global summit
- Chimelong Group’s business activities include theme parks, circus theatres and hotel resorts in mainland China
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In a historic first, one of mainland China’s leading entrepreneurs has received a highly prestigious industry award for notable accomplishments throughout his career.
Su Zhigang, the founder and chairman of Chimelong Group, which currently operates six theme parks across Guangdong province, picked up the Buzz Price Thea Award for a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements at a ceremony in Los Angeles on March 16.
The presentation took place during the Themed Entertainment Association’s (TEA) global summit, a key feature of which was the 30th Annual Thea Awards Gala, an event widely regarded as the industry’s Oscars.
In accepting his award, Su became the first Asian entrepreneur to be honoured with this accolade, the previous recipients having been either American or European.
Su said he was delighted by the personal recognition and the credit it brings to his group, as it continues to add new cultural experiences to attract increasing numbers of visitors to its theme parks.
“Since I opened the first Chimelong Safari Park in 1997, we have created seven different theme parks offering a wide range of entertainment and staycation choices,” Su said during his acceptance speech. “I love working with teams of experts from around the world, brainstorming creative ideas, planning and developing new products. It is a lot of hard work, but hearing the laughter of children in my theme parks, and seeing the smiles on the faces of my hotel guests – these are the things that make it all worthwhile.”
TEA, which was established in 1991, is a non-profit organisation with about 1,600 members. It includes leading creators, developers, designers and producers, and presents the Thea Awards every year to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the industry.
The citation, outlining the reasons for selecting Su for this year’s top award, noted that under his leadership Chimelong Group has grown into one of mainland China’s best-known entertainment and hospitality brands, bringing innovative technological features to its theme parks. It runs world-class theme parks, has more than 10,000 hotel rooms, and has three grand circus show theatres.
The awards also drew attention to the group’s active contribution to global efforts to preserve biodiversity. This is achieved by directly supporting wildlife conservation programmes in 15 countries in Asia-Pacific and Africa.
The group has also become a driving force behind initiatives to promote sustainable development in the tourism industry in those countries. Besides protecting the environment, these efforts are designed to create employment opportunities, which have a positive impact by reducing poverty and directly improving people’s lives.
Reflecting on the developments of the past three decades, Su said Chimelong has always sought to provide the best vacation experience for visitors by way of innovation and exceptional service. The original vision for the brand’s identity and expansion was to become a world-class mainland Chinese cultural tourism brand with its own unique appeal.
“I am very thankful for having the opportunities brought by mainland China’s reform and opening up 45 years ago,” said Su, who also serves as a United Nations Ambassador for Sustainable Tourism. “Bringing people happiness, adding value to society and being recognised for it – that is the greatest source of happiness in my life.”
He added that continued success depends on constant innovation, research and creativity to meet both current and future tourist expectations.
In mainland China, the group’s activities now centre on the Chimelong Resort in Guangzhou and the Chimelong International Ocean Resort in Hengqin, Zhuhai.
Between them, they offer a wide range of sights, entertainment, performances, dining options and accommodation. This has made it possible to achieve annual visitor numbers close to 40 million, with a growing proportion coming from overseas.
The Guangzhou resort has been widely commended for its high standards, and is often described as China’s favourite one-stop holiday destination for its rides, shows and all-round entertainment.
The development in Hengqin is depicted as a “super resort”, and includes theme parks, luxury hotels, convention and exhibition facilities, shopping, and sports facilities, in addition to ocean-themed tourism and leisure activities.
To enhance the visitor experience, the resort also makes full use of cutting-edge technology and the latest designs to make every stay truly memorable for guests.
The group’s aim is to expand its market coverage by offering attractions that appeal to different age groups. The key to that, it says, is listening to feedback, engaging in dialogue with industry experts at tourism-related forums and cooperating with international teams to keep pace with the latest trends and ideas.
In line with that approach, plans are now taking shape for a new Chimelong forest-themed resort – the group’s seventh theme park – in Qingyuan, to the north of Guangzhou, which is about to embark on a series of trials.
