Photo/Illutration Huis Ten Bosch, a Dutch themed park in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Major travel company H.I.S. Co. is considering selling its Dutch theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture to secure more funds, sources said.

The sale of Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo, possibly to a Hong Kong investment firm and other entities, is expected to provide the company with tens of billions of yen.

H.I.S. struggled with plunging sales after the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020.

It posted a record 26.9 billion yen ($194 million) in net losses in its first-half financial results for April this year.

The company controls 66.7 percent of Huis Ten Bosch.

Kyushu Electric Power Co., Saibu Gas Co. and other shareholders of the theme park will also likely sell their holdings, according to the sources.

But H.I.S. is expected to continue with sales activities for the park even after it sells its shares in the park.

Huis Ten Bosch opened in 1992. The original operator applied for bankruptcy in 2003 after its revenues were squeezed by a dismal number of visitors.

In 2010, H.I.S. and five companies based in Kyushu purchased the theme park to turn its fortunes around.

For the year ended in September 2021, Huis Ten Bosch posted net losses for the second straight year.

But its business has since improved, with visitor numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels.

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