MYANMAR Flowers blossom as Asia’s last frontier is opening up Set in the idyllic surroundings of Myanmar’s National Kandawgy Botanical Gardens, the Culture of Flowers Festival (December 15 2019 - January 15 2020) attracted less than four weeks. Overseeing the event’s major overhaul was Ibo Gülsen, managing director of IGMPR, Imagineering Horti Culture, who learned the ropes of Ibo Gülsen, managing director of IGMPR, Imagineering Horti Culture, learned the theme park business in China. the ropes of the theme park business in China. alking in his office in Frequently touted as Asia’s last Botanical Gardens. No stranger to the Hague, business frontier, the country is said to building gardens and flower shows developer Ibo Gülsen present a great opportunity for in China, I was especially keen to has a career spanning investment and growth. Business learn more about HTOO’s green- PHOTOS: IGMPR PHOTOS: telecommunications, experts mention the country’s fingered activities.” Tpublishing and legal services. vicinity to a market of half a billion More recently, he has been active people and predict that Myanmar GUANGZHOU AND DAFENG in the theme park business with could quadruple the size of its Gülsen became a garden and The Culture of Flowers Festival in economy, from $45 billion in 2010 to garden show advocate by Myanmar being one of his latest over $200 billion in 2030. accident, he explains. “Back in projects. 2013, in my capacity as China GROWTH POTENTIAL business development manager COLONIAL PAST Gülsen, recalls how impressed he for Dutch bulb suppliers, I met AUTHOR:RON DERVAN PLOEG Myanmar, also known as Burma, was by the country’s beauty and with horticultural entrepreneurs was a British colony from 1824-1948 growth potential when he first from the Guangzhou area who when it gained independence. arrived in the spring of 2019. “One were thinking up big plans for a According to Gülsen, one of the of my friends, who works for the 100ha permanent flower show country’s hidden gems is Pyin Oo European Chamber of Commerce in combination with a trading Lin. “Rising 1000 metres above in Myanmar in Yangon, invited platform and consumer brand to sea level, this town was once a me to come over. He brought me build customer loyalty. Part of the mountain retreat for the colonial into contact with representatives plan was a Dutch garden and for its British, eager to escape from intense of HTOO, an established realisation Jan Guldemond, former heat and humidity in Mandalay. Myanmar holding company with head designer at Keukenhof and I Victorian and Edwardian-style diversified investments in trading, brought together five Dutch bulb houses and gardens such as National construction and finances. Leisure suppliers. Kandawgy Botanical Gardens, and recreation is also part of their The Guangzhou project was trial modelled after Kew Gardens, still portfolio with the group managing and error and failed to realise full hint at its colonial past.” Yangon Zoo and the Kandawgy potential. Gülsen says, “However, 32 FLORACULTURE INTERNATIONAL JULY-AUGUST 2020 thanks to the Dutch diplomatic One of the most where only flowers and plants, arriving in rather poor condition. network I got to know people from striking elements design and installations account for However, blooms started to revive Dafeng who were busy developing of the flower a relatively small proportion of the quickly. The show’s Amazing Maze, Holland Flower Park, a giant theme festival was the operational budget, whereas general celebrating Van Gogh paintings, park in Jiangsu province, modelled use of immersive infrastructure, depreciation, included 25,000 sunflowers which after a seventeenth-century Dutch displays allowing salaries and a cultural programme had to be replaced three times village including tulip fields and visitors to put on a lot of financial weight.” during the event.” authentic Dutch architecture. I address the joined the Dafeng organisation hunger of FUN MAJOR OVERHAUL in 2015 to help expand their selfie-taking Gülsen thinks that the key The festival took place from business.” millennials. characteristic for theme park December 15 2019 to January 15, success is making them fun for 2020 and attracted 600,000 flower CAPITAL INTENSIVE BUSINESS people of all ages and is somewhat aficionados. Gülsen says, “National Dafeng, says Gülsen, gave him reluctant when he hears about Kandawgy Botanical Gardens first a reason to stay in China and horticultural expos adopting opened its gates in 1915 and has dig deeper into the theme park sustainability themes which often hosted an annual flower festival in industry, a capital intensive come with a high dose of morality December since 2006. 2019 marked business which requires careful and doom, which are often difficult the first major overhaul of what was site planning and significant to relate to people’s daily lives and before predominantly a bedding investments in technology, understanding. plant showcase. By adopting an construction, maintenance and Not so in Myanmar. Judging from overall theme and story-line, IP agreements. It is an industry Garden the photos, visitors had plenty of and expanding the wow factor, that is caught up in a never-ending tourism has fun taking part in the flower festival organisers could double entrance race to keep visitors engaged and been growing which included an amazing maze fees (from 0.80 eurocents to 1,60 entertained with new attractions. significantly of sunflowers a flower fashion cents!!).” Gülsen notes, “Take the Culture over the past few parade, a huge flower selfie spot, Gülsen concludes, “Garden tourism of Flowers Festival in Myanmar years. a food festival and themed areas has been growing significantly over highlighting floral traditions. One the past few years and there are of the most striking elements of 100+ gardens around the world that the flower festival was the use consistently attract 1 to 2 million of immersive displays allowing visitors each year. Taking into visitors to address the hunger of consideration the adverse weather selfie-taking millennials. conditions during most of the Gülsen notes, “Except for one large Festival we are happy with the end scale lily and bedding plant grower, result. Kandawgy is state-owned the commercial production of but is management is outsourced. ornamentals in Myanmar is still Working with HTOO was a real in its infancy. Bedding plants for pleasure. Communication was the Festival were sourced locally instantaneous and the entire team but ice-packed cut flowers were brought enthusiasm and flexibility. trucked from Kunming. This Talks for the 2020/2021 event are journey involved a three-day drive. already underway. All plans will be I remember how the first shipment subject to a number of health and caused consternation with flowers safety measures.” WWW.FLORACULTUREINTERNATIONAL.COM 33.