Country profile While the Dutch theme park industry is understood to
be in good health, the same cannot necessarily be said for the travelling carnival and fair business. “The existing system to obtain new locations is a very competitive one,” said Peter Theunisz, sales manager for Dutch attractions manufacturer KMG Europe. “It doesn’t give the Dutch showmen a lot of room to invest, as the contracts and additional costs – such as staff, energy and so on – are way too high. “There is still a high turnover but the profits are too
Image courtesy Jora Vision
“The Dutch leisure business is highly developed,”
explains Jan Maarten de Raad, CEO of Jora Vision, a world- leading theming company based in the Ranstad area. “The Netherlands has a very dense ‘leisure level,’ meaning there are a lot of options and leisure facilities across a small area. Theme parks and zoos are popular and so are smaller facilities such as children’s indoor play areas.” The Netherlands
is consistently well represented at
international amusement and leisure trade shows, with the number of suppliers to the industry defying the country’s relatively small size. When asked why this is the case, de Raad said: “Schiphol Airport is easy to reach and connected to all capital cities in the world. For us this means that our clients are at our offices within 35 minutes from the airport, Amsterdam or The Hague, for example. The country is very central. “Generally speaking, the Dutch are quite ‘internationally
oriented.’ We are a small country and are well-known for our international business mentality. This goes way back to the ‘VOC days,’ the Dutch East India Company, which started around 1600. Nowadays, the Dutch are known also to be social and creative in different aspects – art, sports, entertainment and architecture. In addition to the theming and leisure industry, Dutch interior design, architecture and fashion are a few examples of important national industries which are doing well abroad.”
International trade The Netherlands has long been famed for its export
industry, and the country remains a major player in agro- industries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery
and equipment, chemicals, petroleum,
construction, microelectronics and fishing. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the US, the country is the eighth biggest exporter in the world, with the total amounting to an estimated $576.9bn in 2013. Dutch attractions and leisure service providers have been
quick to turn to new markets, with exports accounting for a sizeable chunk of their business. “We’ve delivered 11 machines in 2014,” Theunisz said. “We sold a further five rides at the IAAPA Attractions Expo show and that results in a filled order book until July 2016. We invested in new model rides and modifying existing KMG rides.” One other Dutch company benefiting from exports is
Cruden. With its roots stretching back to Fokker, the Dutch aircraft manufacturer, Cruden is a leading supplier of simulators for the motorsport, automotive, education and attractions industries. And Frank Kalff, commercial director for the Amsterdam-based group, said the attractions industry is a growing part of Cruden’s business. “Products such as our Hexatech Formula Style race
Image courtesy Cruden
car simulators are ideal for dedicated simulator centres,” he said, drawing attention to the 5,000sq.m Huan Teng Technology centre, which opened in Guangzhou, China, in June. “We are looking to expand in the attractions sector and recently debuted our latest product, the PowerBoat 5CTR, at the IAAPA Attractions Expo.”
50 InterPark January–February 2015
low,” Theunisz added. “Showmen are forced to ask high prices for their tickets, which results in decreasing visitors. The Dutch carnival industry should find a way to reduce their prices and to get these people come back to visit the fairs and carnivals. As long as the individual showman only thinks in short terms the industry will not recover for the next few years here in Holland.”
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