The air at Wonderla hums with a familiar kind of happiness—the sound of pure, unadulterated fun. It’s a feeling that Arun K Chittilapilly, Executive Chairman & MD of Wonderla Holidays Ltd. has been cultivating since the very beginning. Looking back, he recalls a time when the idea of an amusement park was still quite novel in India.
“When we started as Veegaland in Kochi in 2000, it was a different landscape altogether,” Chittilapilly says to Outlook Traveller. “People weren’t really used to the idea of spending on this kind of leisure. Plus, the initial investment was huge. But we had this clear picture in our minds: a world-class place where families could just come together and have a great time.”
Interestingly, the initial response in Kochi was overwhelming, far exceeding their expectations on day one. That initial energy carried them forward, evolving into the Wonderla we know today, with the Bengaluru park opening in 2005 as a major step. “Even in Bengaluru,” he adds, “we had to really build the market for it, slowly but surely. It took a lot of work to adapt what worked internationally to what would resonate with Indian families, all while making sure safety and hygiene were absolutely top-notch.” The journey continued with parks in Hyderabad and Bhubaneswar, and now, they’re gearing up for their most ambitious project yet in Chennai—all part of that initial vision to create joyful, safe, and accessible experiences for everyone.