INTERVIEW
NICOLAS DE VILLIERS
The president of the award-winning historical theme park Puy du Fou in France discusses what makes the concept so attractive to new markets, and how plans are progressing with partners in Russia and China
P
uy du Fou was founded by Philippe de Villiers, father of the theme park’s current president Nicolas de Villiers, in 1978. As one of
France’s most popular attractions, which welcomes 1.5 million visitors a year, its success is beginning to go global. New partnerships are being formed with
Puy du Fou International, as investors sign up to use the park’s expertise and knowhow to create unique variations of the concept tailored to individual sites. Puy du Fou announced in 2014 it had
signed a deal to work with entrepreneur Jonathan Ruffer, to create Puy du Fou’s first international location at Auckland Castle in County Durham, UK. The first phase, which is an 80-minute nighttime show in the style of the Cinéscénie at Puy du Fou, is set to open in 2016. The company is also working on a
US$500m (£324m, €458m) park in the Moscow region of Russia with billionaire Konstantin Malofeev, due to open in 2017. A second park is planned for the Crimea. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a deal in August 2014 with Puy du Fou International to secure the plans for
180 ATTRACTIONS HANDBOOK 2015-2016
Nicolas de Villiers brought Attractions Management Handbook up to date.
Nicolas de Villiers, president of the Puy du Fou theme park in the Vendée, France, is eyeing new opportunities
the two parks in the country. According to Philippe de Villiers – French politician and leader of the Movement for France party – signing the protocol marked “the start of developing two historical theme parks that aim to highlight Russia’s history and the significance of Russia’s soul.”
Why did you decide to grow the Puy du Fou brand? For a few years we’ve been approached by people from all over the world asking us to create attractions based on the model of the Puy du Fou in France, but showing the culture and history of their own countries. We get about two enquiries a week, and we’ve had requests from as far away as Kenya, Cambodia, Brazil and Chile. I realised that there was a demand to adapt our artistic model to other cultures, so I created Puy du Fou International to create parks and shows abroad.
How do you decide who to work with? We have criteria to help us determine who’s a serious potential partner: one who has means and money as well as ideas. The first step is a one-month feasibility
study. We send out a team – the partner pays – and this helps us determine whether the project and partner are right for us. The next step is the design of the masterplan
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