Broadcaster Turner International India and Gujarat-based Rajgreen Group have entered into a brand partnership to set up Amaazia – India’s first Cartoon Network branded amusement park, in Surat.

Rajgreen Group is investing Rs 450 crore in the venture and the park is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2019.

Cartoon Network’s popular characters including Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls and Adventure Time will be part of Amaazia’s amusement park section.

“The time spent on linear television is coming down. An association like this will help us engage with our fans in a new way. We have a similar format globally,” Siddharth Jain, MD, South Asia, Turner India, told BusinessLine .

For Turner, this is the third such arrangement globally. It has a similar model in IMG Dubai and CN Amazone Water Park, in Thailand.

Stating that India is a priority market for Turner, Jain said the company chose Surat for the branded park as it offered the right catchment with adequate disposable income.

Spread across an area of 61,000 sq m, Amaazia will be a family entertainment destination with 33 theme-based attractions as well as 20 unique water-slides. It will be divided into four major sections – a theme park branded by Cartoon Network, a water park, a family recreational hub and a service apartment and retail shopping area.

The park has been conceptualised and designed by the Sanderson Group, Australia.

Sanjay Movaliya, Chairman, Rajgreen Group, said, “Our audience today is well-travelled and exposed to global entertainment venues. Our aim is to create a similar experience closer home, via our association with a hugely popular global brand like Cartoon Network.”

Amaazia aims to attract approximately 1 million visitors in its first year of operations, with an aim to grow steadily into a top entertainment destination in the country.

According to a KPMG report, the Indian theme park industry grew at 10.25 per cent in 2016 to reach Rs 2,930 crore, up from Rs 2,660 crore in 2015.

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