Sentosa United, in partnership with Sentosa Development Corporation
THE story of how AJ Hackett, which invented commercial bungy jumping 30 years ago and has added thrills to the lives of four million people across the globe, went from 5% domestic business to 100% is an adventure in itself.
Imagine this. Young Australian man, who ran the same park in Cairns, Australia, for nearly 20 years, moved to Singapore late 2019 to expose his family to a new world of adventure that awaited in Asia.
A few months after, borders shut down and he and family are confined to a small island and not only that, he has to save the business on Sentosa island from going under. When 95% of your business evaporates, you have to get bold and creative pretty quickly.
Never mind if you yourself have done more than 300 bungy jumps, Covid is a challenge like no other, says Luke Johnson, and never mind what we think, bungy jumping is not about conquering fear but living with it.
“The minute I lose my fear is the day I will stop,” he says.
In this conversation, learn how Johnson has taken lessons from adventure sports in dealing with Covid, why his jump masters would make the best coaches in resilience and how the park helped thousands of Singaporeans de-stress from the confines of living on a small island with closed borders.
In the process, Johnson has also learnt what matters most to Singaporeans – beyond the thrills, yes, it’s about the food – and how AJ Hackett worldwide is rebranding itself into an experience that’s beyond the jumping and swinging, and it’s just about being there, being part of the fun.
And oh yes, it’s also about learning what goes on behind the scenes with its new “Bouncing Back To Life” insider tour, which is part of a wider Sentosa initiative to launch Insider Tours across the island.
The tours are yet to be launched and it was great to get a sneak preview from Luke – we certainly learnt a secret or two during this podcast and it’s literally in your pants.
Want to find out? Have a listen.