The Penang Government in Malaysia is to hold an open tender seeking designs for a new 'Ecofun Theme Park Resort'.

The RM100m (US$28.5m, AUD$34m, £17.3m) resort would be located on 12.14hectares of land leased from the PenangWater Corporation in Teluk Bahang.

Penang-based theme park design and development company SIM Leisure has reportedly already submitted a proposal which includes a waterpark and farm.

SIM Leisure general manager Roy Brattinga said: "Ecofun is a project based on cultural conservation, social responsibility, educational but also and an economic platform which will create 500 jobs and attract at least 1,000,000 visitors to the resort (annually), but more importantly this will have a positive spin off effect on other tourism services and other basic services within Penang.

"It is a major tourism undertaking with a new configuration that has never been created with such a wide spectrum of ethical leisure activities. It will be a tourism product that will rival the fatigued Genting Highlands and Sunway Lagoon and other tourist destinations within the region and not follow in the footsteps of the conventional movie based parks, thus ensuring the glory days return back to Penang.”

SIM Leisure has previously been involved in the design and construction of the Universal Studios theme park in Singapore, Wahoo Waterpark in Bahrain and Yas island in Abu Dhabi.