Full Value Chain Island Transformation
Transforming industrial island into a year round event hub
Imagine a formerly industrial island being sensitively developed into a touristic paradise that equally balances the needs of visitors and locals.
That’s how NDA Group envisions Guishan Island: an iconic destination in the making.
Our approach to Guishan Island sees it being the gateway for the Wanshan Archipelago, where Guishan’s development propagates the success of the rest of the islands.
(Guishan has rich natural and cultural resources ©NDA Group)
Blessed with rich nature and steeped in cultural heritage, NDA Group sees the potential for Guishan Island to become the go-to destination for festivals, leisure, and MICE travel within China’s south coast, and we seek to brand it as such.
We see a rare opportunity to create a destination with regional impact, and our planning, design, and hospitality design departments work in tandem for strategic planning, maritime complex design, and financial feasibility studies.
Our vision is divided into three phases: short, medium, and long term, and at each point we seek to integrate and capitalise on the island’s constituent strengths of nature and culture.
Strategic Planning
(Guishan Island close to Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macao ©NDA Group)
Guishan Island’s development occurs in the broader context of China’s ambitious Greater Bay Area project, where the island becomes a marine transportation hub attracting traffic from across the region including Zhuhai, Macau, and Hong Kong.
Our approach to shoring up Guishan Island’s tourism credentials starts with creating a flagship maritime complex and simultaneously integrating tourist resources, developing the water area, activating cultural events, and installing a signature water show.
(Guishan island ©NDA Group)
We start with the arrival experience by upgrading the existing marina to allow yachts of up to 30 metres in length and plan a waterfront promenade with speciality seafoods and a floating restaurant.
Then we plan for a huge number of activities that take advantage of incredible marine resources like jet skiing, canoeing, and sailing.
Finally, our activity planning team designs an annual calendar of events centred around the TianHou Culture Festival which celebrates Mazu, goddess of the seas, and the Wanshan Island Carnival.
Financial Feasibility
( Guishan Island Harbour ©NDA Group)
We create a financial feasibility study to understand customer demographics and put them in the context of policy and investment costs. This allows us to authoritatively define the market positioning of the island and its attractions.
Our research shows that the occupancy rate of existing hotels in the region is high on weekends and peak seasons, with high pricing ranging from 500 - 2000RMB. However, low availability of accommodation and facilities like conference space and entertainment on Guishan seriously hinders the tourism development here.
(Option 1 of the Maritime Complex ©NDA Group)
In our survey we see customers mainly coming from Zhuhai and Shenzhen, with 28% of respondents willing to spend 501-1000RMB per day on accommodation, an aspirational demographic we look to capture as we elevate the general experience of the island as a whole.
Backed by the hard data from the financial feasibility team, our hospitality design team suggests premium (but not luxury) brands from prominent hotel groups we enjoy working relationships with including IHG, Marriott, Accor, Minor, and Wyndham.
Maritime Complex
Option 1 Option 2
(We provide client with two options ©NDA Group)
The maritime complex sits opposite the marina and is the first sight visitors see as they alight onto the island. Largely comprised of a hotel and water entertainment park, as well as retail space and tourist centre, this flagship structure is representative of the Guishan experience, both in design and activity.
The design language integrates elements of the surroundings: sea, foliage, and mountain. Lush greenery drapes across the built space helping keep temperatures down, whilst water features irrigate the complex with water’s soothing energy.
(Option 1 of the maritime complex ©NDA Group)
Informed by our extensive market research NDA proposes an innovative product for the south China hospitality scene: a destination that combines boutique accommodation with retailtainment and an indoor activity center.
( Multifunctional potential Pics from internet)
Thus, we create the multifunctional Sea Fun City offering sports training, leisure, and conference facilities, attracting a diversity of visitors. This year-round attraction means even in the tourism off season, there’s always a reason for visitors to make their way to Guishan.
As we calculate, although the payback period for the hotel is long, its strategic value lies in its ability to attract and accommodate higher spending guests who subsequently drive revenues across the region.
With NDA Group's holistic vision imbued into this landmark complex, alongside our ambitious planning strategy, we see a future that inspires a new generation of visitor and entrepreneur hand in hand in creating a greater future for this soon to be iconic destination.