PARKLIFE Parklife
few miles to the south or from Germany to the east. But statistics are unimportant to Efteling’s philosophies. As already mentioned, the park has a policy of doing everything its own way – “the Efteling way.” “Our biggest challenge today is offering a destination to
young people at a time when there are so many alternatives ‘on tap’ for them,” said Sanders. “Children today are spoiled with alternatives; our industry has to compete with many other forms of entertainment and we have to continue to appeal to them.” Efteling does that in a number of ways. It has
its own television series, it has Efteling products including books, CDs, DVDs and its own radio station. It develops its own rides and has them constructed by specialist companies under their own direction. It has its own hotel, a golf course and the Efteling Theatre. It has just opened a holiday village of Pieck-like wooden cottages fitted out to a precise and very high standard for families to spend long weekends. “As we are in northern Europe we have the seasons to cope with, but this year we have started an open- all-year policy, aided by Bosrijk (Forest Realm), the holiday village,” said Sanders. “This should help to smooth out the peaks and troughs to attendances.” The 99 woodland cottages and 26 terraced village cottages are
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supplemented by The Gatehouse and The Manor, themed apartment buildings. The Manor, overlooking the golf course, features a characteristic communal lounge called the Huyskamer, used by golfers and groups, families and business meetings. Efteling isn’t all fairytales. It has its responsibility to all of its customers and that includes the thrill-seeking teens. For
a time in the early 1980s the park flirted with the “fastest- highest” brigade in the industry and its steel coaster Python was added with its twin loops and double corkscrew. Also added was the white water ride Piraña. But the foundation quickly moved back to its mainstream policies and while these more space-age rides remain popular, newcomers are strictly themed. A good example is the combination dark ride/roller
coaster/splash, The Flying Dutchman (2007), heavily themed after the age-old legend of the ghost ship and its robber captain. Joris en de Draak (George and the Dragon) opened in July of this year, a huge new wooden racer coaster, the presentation and styling of this thrill ride fitting precisely into the fantasyland theming of Efteling.
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