Waterpark
Waterparks make waves in Europe
ALEATHA EZRA
New waterpark projects and addi- tions continue to come online at a steady pace throughout the European market. Take, for example, the investment of €10m (US$13.6m, £8.3m) that PortAventura made in its Costa Caribe Aquatic Park in 2013. Considered one of Europe’s leading destination resorts, the park welcomed 3.8 million people in 2012 and anticipated a double- digit increase in attendance thanks to the expanded waterpark area. Te World Waterpark Association
(WWA) has been following this trend in countries like Spain and the UK and sought to bring its popular edu- cational programme to the Spanish market for the first time. To that end, the WWA hosted its Waterpark Symposium, offered in English and Spanish, as part of the Piscina Barcelona International Aquatic Exhibit. More than 55 waterpark developers and operators attended the educational and networking event, hearing ideas from interna- tional experts in the waterparks field. Attendees who came from 13
countries, spanning three con- tinents, to participate in this inaugural event enjoyed a vari- ety of topics: Roger Currie of Neuman-Aqua looked at the need and process of upgrading the attrac- tion content of waterparks, with emphasis on ageing waterpark facil- ities that aren’t living up to their full revenue potential. Fred Bouvard, GM of the soon-to-be-launched Splashworld, shared ideas on cre- ating and implementing a successful marketing plan. Damien Latham of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure discussed attractions management and shared strategies on how to create the saf- est environment for guests. In addition, WWA president Rick
Root discussed what’s driving the success of the waterpark industry in the global market.
Aleatha Ezra, director of park member development, World Waterpark
14 Third Splash Kingdom for Texas
Splash Kingdom Waterparks will be adding to its portfolio of Texas, US venues after Greenville City Council voted to allow the creation of a park off Interstate 30. The project – on Roy
Warren Parkway – is expected to act as the anchor for the 63-acre Greenville Towne Center shopping development in the south of the city, with several restaurants reported to have expressed interest in opening nearby. The site of the park is
also adjacent to a planned 14-screen cinema. Negotiations were ongoing
for some time between Splash Kingdom; the Greenville Board of Development; and III:I Emerging Market Partners, LLC, the developers behind the Towne Center proj- ect. Ground was broken at the beginning of February, with the aim of opening in time for the third quarter of 2014. It is reported locally, how- ever, that the proposed
Te new site joins an existing Wild West-themed park in Hudson Oaks
agreement only requires the park to be open by Q3 of 2015. It would feature an aviation theme, with at least one major waterslide, a lazy river, a wave pool, a children’s wading area, offices, play structure with slides surrounded by inter- active water toys, a food and
beverage facility, cabanas for rental, and pavilions for private parties and events and shops. Splash Kingdom already
operates waterparks in Canton and Hudson Oaks, both in Texas, as well as Shreveport, Louisiana. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=s9C4k
Waterpark to be added to Gaylord Rockies
The 1,500-room Gaylord Rockies hotel and conference centre in Aurora, Colorado, US is to include an extensive indoor/outdoor waterpark, according to an announce- ment by developer RIDA Development Corp. of Houston. Te US$25m (€18m, £15m)
plan envisages two water slides and a range of pools, plus a family play zone, a lazy river and a 'Colorado hot springs' experience. RIDA says the 1.9m sq ft
(176,500sq m) resort - situ- ated on an 85-acre site to the east of Denver, costing at least US$800m (€585m, £480.5m) and to be operated by Marriott International - is expected to attract more than 450,000 new visitors to Colorado annually. Te Gaylord brand focuses mainly on the conference
Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital Te resort and its waterpark are expected to attract 450,000 visitors annually
and convention business and RIDA president Ira Mitzner says: "A water amenity should encourage convention attend- ees to bring along family members, resulting in longer stays in Colorado."
Te construction and design
of the new resort will be in the hands of Minneapolis-based Mortensen Construction and HKS, which is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, US. Details:
http://lei.sr?a=H7H4M
AM 1 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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