Kidzania Manila takes off with airplane arrival

MANILA, Philippines - KidZania, the fastest growing kids’ edutainment concept in the world, welcomed the arrival of a DC-9 airplane fuselage that will serve as the centerpiece attraction of the gateway to KidZania Manila.  The airplane left Tucson, Arizona, on Dec. 4, 2013 and traveled by land to the Los Angeles port, where it departed by sea for Manila.  It finally arrived at the base building jobsite at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig early in the morning of Feb. 6.  The arrival of the airplane marks a key milestone in the development of the P1-billion interactive kid-sized play city, over 8,000-sqm of indoor play space in the heart of BGC, close to the international schools zone of the community.

 The aircraft symbolizes the journey that children will make from the Philippines to KidZania, a nation where kids rule.  KidZania Manila visitors will check in at the KidZania International Airport.  In addition, the airplane will introduce children to the thrill of aviation, in line with KidZania’s unique blend of education and entertainment.  Little tykes can work as pilots and learn how to fly their passengers from the Philippines to KidZania using state-of-the-art flight simulators.

 â€œThe plane plays an essential role in the magic that marks KidZania,” said Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas, KidZania Philippines state governor, and president and CEO of local franchisee Play Innovations Inc. “We want children to imagine that they’ve flown into another place, another nation, one of their very own.  Here they will be empowered and inspired to participate and collaborate in the creation of the better world we all aspire to have.”

KidZania has become a global phenomenon with 15 locations in 13 countries and the brand recently made it made it to CNN’s Best Franchises for Travellers list, the only family edutainment center brand of choice.  It is the first-of-its-kind, indoor hyper-real play city in the country that allows children ages 4 to 14 to freely explore a neighborhood proportioned to their size, choose from over 100 role-playing activities in different establishments sponsored by real brands. Through role-playing of grown-up jobs, children can learn about different careers and the basics of what makes a good city work, giving them authentic experiences that are fun, immersive, and memorable. 

 â€œAt KidZania, kids can play and dream and explore so many future possibilities.  Every child has a gift.  We will help Filipino children discover and hone those gifts through play,” said Pangilinan-Arenas.  Inside the facility are an aviation academy, a theater, a fire station, driving streets, a hospital, a culinary academy, schools, and a variety of establishments where they can role-play any job they want — doctors, pilots, engineers, farmers, marine biologists, bank tellers, even journalists, actors, musicians, and artists.

 Pangilinan-Arenas noted that KidZania Manila is taking the concept of playing bahay-bahayan (playing house) to a whole new level. “This time, it’s city-city-han (playing roles in a city), allowing our kids to get ready for a better world.  We want their KidZania experience to inspire them, spark their imaginations, and help them experience how making good choices and being involved citizens can make their world a better and more fun place.”

KidZania, Inc., headquartered in Mexico, was founded in 1997 by Xavier Lopez, opened its first park in 1999, and is privately held. With 15 locations in 13 countries, it is expanding into markets such as London, Moscow, Sao Paolo, Istanbul, Singapore, Jeddah, and more. For more information about KidZania, visit www.KidZania.com, Facebook.com/KidZaniaOfficial, or follow them on Twitter @KidZania.

 KidZania is locally franchised by Play Innovations, Inc., and is set to open at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.