Mohegan Inspire makes grand debut in Incheon

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Mohegan Inspire makes grand debut in Incheon

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  • LEE JIAN
The lobby of Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

The lobby of Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

YEONGJONG ISLAND, Incheon — After eight long years, Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon, is finally welcoming guests into parts of its property, and it has some ambitious goals in mind.  
 
"We aim to attract 3.5 million visitors by next year, from both Korea and abroad," President of Mohegan Inspire Chen Si told the press on Wednesday at the resort.
 
The resort is a 1.8-trillion-won ($1.4 billion) venture led by the American integrated resort developer Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment.
 
Mohegan operates seven integrated resorts in the United States and Canada. Inspire is its first outpost in Asia. The resort is about an hour's drive away from downtown Seoul and a 10-minute drive from Incheon International Airport.
 
Mohegan Inspire's President Chen Si talks to the press during the resort's opening press conference on Wednesday at Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon. [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

Mohegan Inspire's President Chen Si talks to the press during the resort's opening press conference on Wednesday at Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon. [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

With a total of 461,661 square meters in area (46 hectares), the resort has three hotel towers with 1,275 rooms in total; a multi-purpose arena; MICE, or meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, facilities including the largest ballroom in Korea; an all-year-around indoor water park; a mall with around 75 stores; an outdoor park; a foreigners-only casino; and 18 F&B venues.
 
Inspire plans to employ a gradual opening strategy and open the entire resort in phases by the second half of 2024. Currently open are the hotels, the Inspire Arena and MICE facilities. Its Splash Bay is only open to staying guests for now.
 
Its Inspire Arena held its first event, the Melon Music Awards, on Dec. 2, seating around 120,000 K-pop fans. Inspire Arena is Korea's first multi-purpose performance venue directly catering to live music concerts, entertainment and premier sporting events, according to the resort.
 
The resort's general manager, Jamie Jang, said that the resort is expecting to generate annual sales of 50 billion won ($37 million) in the country's 1 trillion won live music market.
 
"Our focus on driving foreign people into Incheon is not just based on the resort facilities, but it's also leveraging the entire K-culture and K-pop," Si said. 
 
The front gate of Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

The front gate of Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort on Yeongjong Island, Incheon [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

K-pop boy band SHINee member Taemin this weekend will be the next star to headline at the venue.
 
Scattered around the inside of the resort are impressive digital art pieces, like the kinetic rotunda-like circular installment in front of the arena and a 150-meter-long digital entertainment street, Aurora. Both run special digital shows in intervals. 
Aurora, the digital entertainment street inside Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

Aurora, the digital entertainment street inside Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort in Incheon [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

Of the 18 F&B venues, the resort will operate 10 of them, promising a "passport-free gourmet food experience" from restaurants spanning across cuisines from Asia, Europe and America, as well as a vegan restaurant.
 
Arguably, the most anticipated of the restaurants is the Michael Jordan's Steakhouse. Slated to open by early next year, it is the basketball player's restaurant's first international outpost outside of its home in the United States. The restaurant and the MJ23 Sports Bar & Grill, set to open in Mohegan's Incheon property, are two of the most popular F&B spots in the group's flagship property, Mohegan Sun, in the United States.  

 
The resort's chief marketing officer Michael Jensen talks to the press on Wednesday at Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort. [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

The resort's chief marketing officer Michael Jensen talks to the press on Wednesday at Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort. [MOHEGAN INSPIRE ENTERTAINMENT RESORT]

The resort's chief marketing officer Michael Jensen described Mohegan Inspire Resort as an "all-in-one entertainment destination for all generations across the world."
 
"We strive to make an inspiring world, and all the attractions here are here for inspiring people," he said.
 
"We aim to be a new-generation entertainment resort," Si said.
 
On Monday, the resort plans to roll out its promotional clip across media channels in Korea and its social media pages. 
 






BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]
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