Waterpark News
Water safety initiatives abound
ALEATHA EZRA A
ccording to t he Wo r l d He alth
Or ga niza t io n (WHO), the only thing that causes more deaths in children than drowning is road traffi c accidents. T is means drown- ing is a more serious threat to a child’s life than choking, smothering, falls or even war. In addition, WHO estimates that children under fi ve have the highest drowning mor- tality rates worldwide. T e good news for water leisure opera-
tors is that drowning is preventable. Even better news is that there are some fantas- tic programs out there that are leading the way to spread the important message about water safety and learning to swim.
“The water leisure community has an opportunity to be a vocal advocate for drowning prevention”
• Th e World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, which is supported by more than 12 lifesav- ing groups, was held 14 June. Waterparks, aquatic centres, swim schools and pools in countries such as the UK, the US, Brazil, Japan and Mexico, among others, held events with nearly 25,000 taking part. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=d3M0K • Water Safety Awareness Week (16-24 June) is a week-long water safety initiative created and supported by the Royal Life Saving Society UK. Now in its second year, this event saw nearly 17,000 participate in events like the Top Trunks challenge and other water safety fairs and activities. In addition, Facebook followers increased by more than 21 per cent and the event website received in excess of 5,000 visits. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=m9D3l The water leisure community has an
opportunity to be a vocal advocate for drowning prevention and safer water prac- tices. By supporting such initiatives, they can positively impact these statistics.
Aleatha Ezra, director of park member development
16 Splash Country to open coaster
Dollywood’s Splash Country, the waterpark adjacent to the Dollywood theme park in Tennessee, US, has unveiled plans to open the state’s fi rst water coaster in May 2013. RiverRush will be a hydro-
magnetic ride experience combining the climbs, drops, twists and turns of a land- based coaster with water and will stand four storeys tall. The coaster will feature
four-person toboggan-style boats, which will be propelled by high-speed conveyor belt to a height of 237ſt (72m) fol- lowed by a 25ſt (8m), 45-degree drop. Visitors will continue along the 1,175ſt (358m)
RiverRush will combine aspects of land-based rollercoasters with water
track through three additional drops driven by linear induction motors, before experiencing multiple hairpin turns and dark tunnels. Pro-Slide Technology, the Canada-based engineering fi rm and manufacturer, is involved
with the project, while Dollywood is respon- sible for the design and development. Dolly Parton said: “At Dollywood, we made
history with Wild Eagle, the country’s fi rst wing coaster, so I thought, why not do it again at Dollywood’s Splash Country?” Details:
http://lei.sr?a=l4p4Y
TAM plans new waterpark in Malaysia
Th emed Attractions Malaysia (TAM) – the leisure arm of the state-owned Kazanah Nasional’s – is investing RM267m (US$84.7m, €69.2m, £54m) in the construction of two theme parks in Desaru. One of the new attractions
will be a marine park with an aquarium called Ocean Quest, while the other is a traditional water park called Ocean Splash. Both parks are scheduled to
T e two new waterparks are scheduled to open in 2014
open in 2014. T e attractions are one of a number of planned develop- ments for TAM. It is also spearheading the expansion of the KidZania portfolio and is to open the Puteri Harbour Entertainment complex in Nusajaya. T e indoor facility is one of the fi ve fl agship zones at Puteri and will comprise Th e Little Big
Club, designed around HIT Entertainment’s popular characters; Hello Kitty Town, the fi rst Hello Kitty attraction in south Asia; and a themed restaurant of local cartoonist LAT. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=C2a2z • To read an interview with TAM’s COO Steve Peet, see AM Q1 p20:
http://lei.sr?a=w1i4q
WhiteWater unveils latest offi ce in Barcelona
Canada-based waterpark design and manu- facturing group WhiteWater West Industries has announced the opening of its latest inter- national offi ce in Barcelona, Spain. It is the fi rm’s 18th offi ce worldwide, with locations already established in countries such
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital
as the UK, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Russia, along with fi ve in the US. T e offi ce will be a new hub for WhiteWater
and Prime Play operations in Europe, Russia, the Middle East, India and Africa. Read more:
http://lei.sr?a=F7S2V
AM 3 2012 ©cybertrek 2012
image: gordana sermek/
shutterstock.com
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