ATTRACTIONS Land deal for Visions of China
Te Visions of China theme park, planned for a former opencast coal mine in the Rother Valley Country Park, is one step closer to develop- ment with a lease agreement signed between the local council and developers. The proposed 120-acre
attraction is projected to cost more than £100m and would showcase Chinese archi- tecture, garden design and culture and customs. A Rotherham Borough
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Merlin recognised by national awards
Merlin Entertainments has become one of the first visitor attractions companies to appear on Management Today’s list of Britain’s Most Admired Companies. Merlin went straight into the Top 100,
appearing at number 64 in the list of 254 of the UK’s most iconic and prestigious com- panies. In the Capacity to Innovate sector, Merlin fared even better, coming in at 27 out of the 254 UK businesses assessed. It also came a very close third to
Intercontinental Hotels and Virgin Atlantic in the leisure and hotels category.
Te entire development will be themed according to Chinese culture
Council spokesperson con- firmed the authority has entered agreements for the leasing of 153 acres of land, meaning developer Mid City Developments (MCD) and leisure operator China Vision Ltd can move ahead with plans for the project. Rotherham Borough Council picked Visions
of China as the preferred development for the former Pithouse West colliery site in August
2011, stating the attraction would increase vis- itor numbers to Yorkshire. China Vision expects 1.5 million people will
visit the park each year where they will see Oriental lakes and gardens, a Chinatown retail street, a Shaolin temple, theatre, children’s “fantasy land”, restaurants and an Oriental- themed spa. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=i4c7n
Bewilderwood posed to go global
Bewilderwood, the children’s outdoor play concept involv- ing jungle bridges, treehouses and zip wires, could go global say its founders. Te first site was opened by
a Norfolk farmer in 2007 as a farm diversification project. Now Bure Valley Adventures, the company formed to run it, is awaiting a decision by planners regarding opening a second site at the National Trust property, Tatton Hall, in Cheshire. Talks are also underway regarding land in Windsor and development director Simon Egan said they are talking to companies in Singapore and Canada, as well as Center Parcs in Europe. What gives Bewilderwood its extra edge is the story around it. Tom Blofeld, who owns the
Te attraction has had a dramatic impact
Titanic Belfast could offset fall in Irish tourism revenue
Tourism Ireland is confident about pros- pects for 2013, despite recent findings from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency pointing to a dip in over- seas visitors to Northern Ireland. Launching Tourism Ireland’s market-
ing plans for next year, Tourism Minister Arlene Foster said Londonderry’s reign as the UK’s City of Culture would be a key feature in selling the destination to the overseas market in 2013. Key markets to be targeted are the US, mainland Europe and Australia. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=f7J9t
Tom Blofield, inventor of the quirky Bewilderwood characters
Norfolk estate, wrote a story about the char- acters who live there: the tree-inhabitating twiggles and marsh-dwelling boggles. New characters are being developed for Tatton Hall. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=o3R3U
Edinburgh Zoo celebrates pandaversary
Visiting pandas, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, have now completed the first year of their 10 year stay at Edinburgh Zoo, which has been deemed a great success in terms of research and visits. Te arrival of the pandas a year ago has boosted ticket sales by around 50 per
ISSUE 1 2013 © cybertrek 2013
cent. Around 500,000 people have visited the zoo to see the pandas, which have won an honorary Scottish Tistle Award for their services to tourism. Te pandas have also inspired panda tartan and panda milk. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=O9w9B
Electrosonic acquires Global Immersion
AV specialist Electrosonic has acquired Global Immersion, a designer of high performance digital immersive theatre attractions. The deal, completed on 10 December, will allow Electrosonic to offer digital immersive solutions across the theme park, museum, giant screen cin- ema and planetarium markets. Jim Bowie, president of Electrosonic
Group, said the deal was a significant strategic move for both companies. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=u0i1c
Read Leisure Management online
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