DSM Corporation, a South Korean company spanning mobility, energy and entertainment, said Monday that its smart racing theme park, 9.81 Park Jeju, on Jeju Island has drawn more than 3 million paying visitors over six years.
The company's Monolith division, which runs the park's more than 20 activities including gravity racing, said visitors passed 3 million as of June, since opening in July 2020. Actual foot traffic, including cafe and facility-only visitors, is likely higher, the company said.
DSM credits much of the growth to an artificial intelligence platform built into the park's activities that logs riders' results in real time, lets them track and share scores, and pairs with a tiered licensing structure that rewards repeat visits.
Riders who earn the park's top master license and post strong times qualify for an annual championship. Participants in last year's championship visited the park an average of 10 times and rode more than 120 times each over the year.
Foreign visitors kept climbing too. Visitors from Greater China rose 393 percent from a year earlier, a jump DSM attributes to targeted marketing on the Chinese platform Xiaohongshu. Visits from K-pop acts like NCT, Day6 and Zerobaseone, widely shared among overseas fans, added further momentum.
DSM plans to extend the model with 9.81 Park Incheon Airport, an indoor park opening near Incheon Airport next spring, targeting 1 million visitors in its first year and easier access for international travelers.
"Through the opening of 9.81 Park Incheon Airport next year, we will offer global tourists a more advanced leisure experience," a company official said. "We will keep developing content to establish ourselves as a next-generation leisure platform spanning the global market."
The park operator said it will keep pursuing brand collaborations, following partnerships with the Korea Baseball Organization this year and Pokemon Korea last year that widened its audience across age groups and fandoms.
Through December, the park is hosting a book-themed collaboration with e-book platform Millie's Library at its on-site cafe, where visitors can browse a curated selection of books about Jeju and travel and try honey-themed drinks and desserts.
minmin@heraldcorp.com