Yongin, Monday, 8 September 2025.
Last Friday Everland opened a 20‑minute Night Safari Tram in Yongin that stages close, after‑dark observations of seven predator species — about 40 animals including tigers, lions and brown bears — timed to when those species are most active. For retail and operations leaders this is notable: the experience pairs behavioural enrichment (lions pouncing on zebra models, bears fishing for live trout, tigers climbing) with intensified night lighting, narration and sightline‑focused tram modifications to drive longer guest stays and higher per‑capita spend. The programme runs Fridays–Sundays and holidays through 9 November and early ticket allotments are selling out, offering a live test of demand elasticity for evening productisation. Key operational issues to watch: animal management and veterinary oversight, enclosure lighting and biosecurity, staff rostering and safety engineering, plus potential regulatory scrutiny. The launch provides a practical case study in monetising zoological assets while balancing welfare and risk management.
Night‑time launch and basic facts
Everland, operated by Samsung C&T’s Resort Division, opened a 20‑minute Night Safari Tram that runs through Safari World and stages close, after‑dark observations of roughly 40 predators across seven species — explicitly including tigers, lions and brown bears — with the tram operating on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays through 9 November; the attraction began service last Friday and early reservation allotments have sold out. [1][2][3]
How behaviour is being used to craft experience
The Night Safari Tram pairs targeted behavioural enrichment with environmental design to present animals at times when they are naturally more active: Everland expanded enrichment activities so visitors see lions pouncing on bait placed on zebra models, tigers climbing trees and brown bears fishing for trout in mini pools, while narration and intensified nighttime lighting are used to guide guest attention and dramatise sightings. [1][2][4]
Operational adjustments implied by nocturnal viewing
Bringing a zoo‑style, after‑dark program into an existing themed‑park tram loop requires adjustments across animal management, lighting and vehicle design: Everland strengthened night lighting and added narrated commentary, and the tram experience emphasizes sightline‑focused staging — all measures that imply changes in enclosure access schedules, enrichment timing and tram fit‑outs for sighting and safety. These points are described in Everland’s publicity and local reporting on the launch. [1][3][6]
Staffing, veterinary oversight and biosecurity considerations
Operationalising nightly predator displays increases demand for specialist staff and veterinary coverage; local reports note the programme’s expanded enrichment activities and presence of live‑prey simulations, which in turn imply more intensive animal monitoring, night‑shift staffing and biosecurity protocols to manage feeding events and public‑animal separation — practical necessities raised by the Night Safari Tram’s format. [2][5][6]
Commercial strategy: extending hours and testing evening demand
For retail and park operations leaders, Everland’s tram represents an explicit strategy to extend park operating hours and productise the evening daypart: the operator packages the Night Safari Tram alongside a fall festival (The Everland of OZ) and themed night attractions, using reservations opened two weeks in advance and reporting sold‑out initial allotments as evidence of demand elasticity for evening experiences. This frames the launch as a live, revenue‑oriented experiment in after‑hours guest conversion. [1][3][4][6]
Risk management: welfare, safety and regulatory oversight
Nocturnal displays of large carnivores raise multi‑dimensional risk considerations: animal welfare advocates and regulators typically review night lighting, enrichment methods, feeding simulations and public proximity for welfare impacts and safety engineering; while the launch materials describe enrichment and lighting upgrades, the potential for regulatory review and public scrutiny is a foreseeable industry implication [alert! ‘no specific regulator review was reported in the cited sources—this flags possibility rather than documented action’]. [1][2][5]
What the industry should watch
The Night Safari Tram creates a case study for integrating zoological assets into themed‑park evening economies: operators and developers should monitor measurable outcomes — reservation uptake, per‑capita spend in evening dayparts, staffing and veterinary cost changes, and any regulatory responses — to assess whether behavioural staging of predators can sustainably support extended‑hours revenue without compromising welfare or biosecurity. Early reporting from Everland signals strong initial demand, but systematic operational data and third‑party welfare assessments will be needed to judge long‑term viability. [1][3][4][7][alert! ‘no public release of attendance or revenue figures in the cited sources, so quantitative performance remains unreported’]
Bronnen