Park Operations
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PortAventura’s secrets for success
5 reasons Spain’s leading theme park stays one step ahead
A taxing
challenge Spanish parks and attractions were presented with a huge challenge earlier this year when the government imposed a massive increase in value added tax (VAT) on admission income – up from 8% to 21%. PortAventura has avoided passing that cost onto the customer because, “we know they can’t pay it,” says the resort’s CEO Fernando Aldecoa. Instead, management has focused on controlling costs. It has, for example, streamlined the number of merchandise, food and beverage suppliers, whilst forging strategic alliances with key clients including Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, Ferrero and Lavazza. Such initiatives allow PortAventura to purchase products under the best terms and conditions, whilst developing new concepts such as Nutella crepes and a branded yoghurt parlour. “The objective is not to save
money,” concludes Aldecoa,” but to balance costs against the rise in VAT so that we can maintain the quality of product for our guests.”
Located on the Costa Dorada in Salou, PortAventura is Spain’s most popular theme park resort, entertaining over 3.5 annual guests. Known for its richly themed lands and signature attractions such as the coasters Shambhala and
Dragon Khan, resort guests can also check out a waterpark, four themed hotels, golf courses and more. But how does PortAventura keep ahead of the competition? Operations manager Giovanni Modena (pictured) reveals some of the secrets.
KEEPNG IT FRESH First we must understand that the key to theme park success is constant renewal of the product. In 2010, with the new shareholder Investindustrial on board, PortAventura embarked on an €80 million investment plan which has resulted in numerous new projects. The highlights include the creation of a sixth themed land called SésamoAventura, opened in 2011, and the introduction this season of the tallest roller coaster in Europe, Shambhala, plus the comprehensive refurbishment of the 500-room Hotel PortAventura. Furthermore, our art director Gianfranco Bollini constantly renews the live entertainment offering of PortAventura. At present, we have about 100 daily show performances throughout the park, almost all of which are changed on annual basis. This helps the visitor to have the feeling that the park is constantly changing and ensures medium to long-term repeat visits.
SésamoAventura and Dragin Khan – two of PortAventura’s signature features
REACHING OUT TO RUSSIA
The Costa Dorada has traditionally has received quite a lot of tourism from Russia, however we’ve seen this grow very fast in the last three years thanks to a sustained business strategy. Right now Russia has become the second best international market for PortAventura (after France), contributing over 300,000 guests in 2012. Our success comes from knowing how to adapt the resort to the needs of an increasingly international audience. As an integrated destination resort oriented towards the family vacations, we are exactly what Russian are tourists looking for in Spain. That’s why we keep investing in new projects every year at our resort, as well as the theme park.
F&B VARIETY
Nowadays we have more than 70 food outlets throughout the resort (park and hotels). There are restaurants to suit every taste: snacks, fast food, buffet, and themed table service. On a single day, more than 35.000 meals, 45.000 drinks, 9,000 portions of fries and 8,000 ice creams may be served across the site. Our food and beverage team comprises 15 chefs that design new menus each season following comprehensive research and product tastings. Did you know, for example, that we have 57 different types of sandwich and 136 different salads? Of course quality is also a priority, and dishes are checked on a daily basis and an external audit is carried out once a week.
STRINGENT SAFETY
Safety is an absolute priority for us at PortAventura, something that is factored into every stage of our projects. We choose the best ride manufacturers in the world and adhere to the strictest certification procedures including the SGS and German TÜV standards. During construction we apply safety measures that exceed the most extreme conditions such as strong winds, land shiftss etc, and during operation our thorough staff training and operation protocols include daily and annual inspections, and of course a maintenance team is always on alert in the park. Our customers have to feel that our attractions are 100% safe.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY PortAventura is committed to saving energy not only as part of a social responsibility policy but also as part of a mid to long-term strategy to make cost savings. This has allowed us to reduce electricity consumption by 6% in the last five years, despite the fact that during this period the facilities in the park has continued to grow, including a new hotel. Every single department is committed to thinking about better ways to use and safe energy. For example, our office lights are switched off at a certain moment of the day to make sure that there are no computers or lights that were missed at the end of the day. Inside the park we have also replaced our lights with low energy LEDs.
portaventura.es
An extended version of this article will appear at
parkworld-onine.com
60 NOVEMBER 2012
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