Immersive Arcades To Bowling Allies: India's Love For Leisure Is Snowballing
India’s indoor amusement market is projected to grow to Rs 9,218 crore in annual revenues by 2030.
Saturday nights can get hazy with the rush of winning games inside arcades with neon-lined walls. Going to an escape room or horror house could get one out of a mid-week slump.
A VR mask game could get one feeling the thrill of sitting on a rusty roller coaster without actually risking your life. The dizzying height of excitement when jumping on a trampoline might make one feel like a kid again.
With indoor amusement centres like these finding their place around every corner in malls, India's love for entertainment shines through the growing numbers.
The Booming Numbers
India’s indoor amusement market is projected to grow from Rs 4,350 crore to Rs 9,218 crore in annual revenues by 2030, according to a JLL report.
The retail supply of space for entertainment over the past 10 years has been recorded at 3,90,000 square feet.
Entertainment is ranked fifth out of the 21 items in the consumption expenditure, thanks to the strong consumer demand.
This has led mall developers to expand entertainment zones, allowing multiple amusement centres in one location.
The incorporation of entertainment offerings has become an integral component of the strategic planning and positioning of retail assets, be it malls or mixed-use developments.
Who Has The Most Fun?
India has 6.6 million square feet of indoor amusement centres across 523 locations. At seven, Sarath City Capital Mall in Hyderabad has the most number of such centres in one location.
Mumbai's Phoenix Marketcity in Kurla and Marina Mall in Chennai closely follow with six centres.
Malls in cities like Pune, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, and Calicut make it to the list too.
According to the JLL report, south India has the most number of indoor amusement centres, accounting for 35% of the total number in India.
Hustling Metros Have Fun Too!
The shivers a snow park visit could send down the spine and the hypnotically addictive games at the arcade come calling when one is looking for something fun to do.
Metros not only promise dreams, roadblocks, and bustles but also the most number of amusement spaces to let your hair down.
Top metros like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, and Ahmedabad account for 60% of the total indoor amusement centres in the country. These metros have close to 3.75 million square feet of indoor entertainment space spread across 291 centres.
Wait, Why Should Big Cities Have All The Fun?
However, the fun-loving crowd is not just limited to the metros of India. The smaller cities are not backing down at all. There are a total of 232 indoor amusement centres in smaller cities, with entertainment spaces occupying about 2.8 million square feet.
Tier II and Tier III cities like Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Kochi, Surat, Indore and Chandigarh account for 41% of the total number of amusement centres.
The ownership of amusement centres has also grown significantly, as 72% of the total share of the indoor amusement centres are domestic and international operators contribute 28%.
