The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The principal behind a $32m theme park eyed for the Western end of New Providence is promising a holographic experience along with a “re-imaging of Old Nassau.”

Kevin Burrows, principal of Nassau World Production, told Tribune Business the proposed “Holloworld” theme park is eying September this year to have raised all $32m in order to commence an 18-month construction phase that will have a holographic experience as its primary feature.

“For the virtual tours, we will make them as realistic as we can make those. In terms of a fantasy element, some of the 3D rides will probably contain a fantasy element or a re-imagining of what Old Nassau may look like in the time of the pirates,” said Mr Burrows.

He added: “It’s a very small theme park. The way it is, there’s going to be a room where you can walk through and it has the full LED holographic effect that’s around you, right and that’s going to be a big cavernous room.”

Mr Burrows compared the technology as being similar to that at the Harry Potter theme park, where you sit down in front of a large screen and the chairs shake in time with the ride. He said it was “similar to the 4D that they have at Fusion (Superplex)”.

He added: “These things don’t take up huge amounts of space, because there’s no true movement and they’re just individual rooms and same with the escape room. Escape rooms tend to be fairly small and you look for clues, you can do it holographically or you can have goggles and you can make your way through.”

The software behind the proposed theme park is critical to its appeal to the public because the technology changes very quickly, so along with the features of the theme park there will also be a “hollo-campus”, where Nassau World Production will be teaching 3D programming and how to create the holographic experience.

Mr Burrows said: “We have a few sites in mind, but we can’t disclose it until we put the money down to secure it. But we are looking at a number of sites that are not quite going to be Downtown; clearly it is going to be quite expensive.

“But if you can imagine some plots of land between Bay Street and Baha Mar, in that area and along that strip. We are cognizant of bussing tourists back and forth and we don’t want them to be stuck in traffic for hours on end.”