ATTRACTIONS MANAGEMENT
WATERPARK NEWS Aleatha Ezra The park is set to open to the public in 2012 Aldar to build waterpark on Yas Island
Abu Dhabi-based Aldar Properties is to open a 16.4-hectare waterpark on Yas Island, the company’s major leisure and entertainment destination. Set to open in 2012, the park will fea-
ture more than 40 rides and attractions, including four one-of-a-kind rides that Aldar said have never been seen before in a water park. The property giant has already received the conceptual planning approval from the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning
Wildebeest opens at Holiday World
The world’s longest water coaster has opened at Holiday World’s Splashin’ Safari in Santa Claus, Indiana, US. Situated in a wooded area north of
Bahari wave pool, the 1,710ft (521m) Wildebeest experience begins with a conveyor ride up the coaster’s lifthill. Following a 38ft (11.6m) drop, eight linear induction motors power the four-person boats up seven more hills, through two tunnels and round a helix. Wildebeest is 64ft (19.5m)-tall and its 14 cars with toboggan-style seating hit a top speed of 36ft/sec (11m/sec) during the ride, with the total ride time being 2.5 minutes. The addition of the new ride marks
the second largest single-ride invest- ment in Holiday World’s 64-year history. Costing US$5.5m (£3.8m, €4.5m). It was designed by ProSlide Technology.
18 An artist’s impression of the park plans
Cairns waterpark gets go ahead
A AU$35m (£140m, 164m, US$202m) waterpark in Smithfi eld, Cairns, Australia, has been given the green light. The 7-hectare Adventure Waters park
was originally given planning consent by Cairns Regional Council in October last year, but work was halted after an appeal by Mulgrave Central Mill. Once completed, the park will boast a
lazy river, a Tornado 45, a Mammoth River slide, a six-lane Octopus Racer, a simulated surfi ng area and Turbo Tunnel slides.
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Council and has appointed the UK-based Atkins as lead designer for the project. The prequalifi cation process for main
contractors for the project has now been launched and construction work is sched- uled to begin in July 2010. Aldar has also committed to making the
attraction one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable waterparks in the world. The park will be one of a wide range of leisure projects at Yas Island.
Waterparks - a stable industry
ating exactly what the 2010 season will mean for their business. The effects of the economic downturn of late 2008 and 2009 are still being felt through- out the family leisure industries in the US, Europe and beyond. Yet, there is positive news to be gleaned from one of the industry’s barometers of health: the 2009 Global Attraction Attendance Report, compiled by TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) and eco- nomics practice AECOM. (See p24) Statistically, the report reveals that 20.7 million people visited the top 20 worldwide waterparks in 2009, an increase of 2.1 per cent from 2008. In addition, 12.8 million people visited the top 15 waterparks in the US, a growth of three per cent from 2008 and 11.6 per cent from 2005. Beyond the sta- tistics, the report concludes that the global leisure industry remains strong despite economic challenges. “Taken together, the numbers this year refl ect an industry that is stable at its core and well equipped to survive, recover and continue its expansion into new mar- kets as the world economy recovers.” The report credits the strategies
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employed by parks to make the best of a troubled situation by reinvesting in the guest experience, offering creative targeted marketing and building the relationship with the customer.
Aleatha Ezra is the membership manager of the World Waterpark Association
AM 3 2010 ©cybertrek 2010
ith the start of the waterpark season underway, operators all over the world are evalu-
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