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The Tom Anstey Column
A visit to Epcot, a park I have long held as one of my favourites, was absolutely ruined the last time I visited thanks to the number of people in attendance combining with an inability to take in any of the attractions I wanted to – I’m yet to experience Guardians of the Galaxy at the park thanks to a system that requires you to be on an app at 7 am to maybe get a chance to ride. Let’s not forget the $100 plus you’ve paid just to be able to walk in through the Disney gates for the day, and you end up wholly unsatisfied and frankly feeling ripped off.
Et tu Disney? Parc Astérix, by contrast, delivers nostalgia, theming, and immersion like Disney but at a fraction of the cost, with no sacrifice in quality. The Astérix brand is deeply woven into European
culture - hugely popular in France and widely known across countries including Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and more. With more than 400 million books sold, as well as decades worth of film releases, games, and other merchandise, Asterix is a cultural powerhouse. And when the experience feels on par with Disney or Universal, it becomes by far the more appealing choice. My opinion may not be that out there if the
numbers are anything to go by – because they are slowly but surely growing. With a record 2.9 million visitors in 2024, Parc
Astérix is France’s second biggest theme park destination after Disney, which leads the way for Europe. Parc Astérix’s operator, Compagnie des Alpes (CDA), plans to solidify that position with a €250m investment by 2030 to push the park into Europe’s top five.
Game changer With a well-established and well-loved brand in France, now comes the biggest move of all – Astérix is moving out of his Gaulish village and heading to Germany. Belantis - a park near Leipzig which opened in
2003 - is set to be transformed into a fully-fledged Astérix park by 2030 or 2031. The attraction, which has been acquired by CDA for a reported €22m, has long acted as a major regional park but has never reached its full potential. Attendance numbers in the low hundreds of thousands pale in comparison to Germany’s heavy hitters – Europa- Park, for example, pulled over 6.2 million visitors in 2024. But with 41 of the site’s 80 hectares still undeveloped, Belantis offers a rare opportunity: a sprawling canvas already equipped with the infrastructure needed for a major expansion. €100m has been earmarked to transform and
expand the park. The first changes arrive in spring 2026 with a new Dogmatix/Idéfix-themed area. Over the next five to six years, the entire park will be reimagined, culminating in a full rebrand as an Astérix theme park.
By the numbers Germany is, importantly, the second-largest market behind France for Asterix books worldwide. The brand spans generations, giving CDA a built-in audience for its theme park development. As an IP-focused, story-driven destination, an Astérix park offers something distinct from the existing German lineup featuring the likes of Europa- Park, Phantasialand, Heide Park, and Legoland Deutschland.
A Blueprint for Expansion? If the Belantis project succeeds, it could be the beginning of something far bigger. Europe has several mid-sized regional parks with unrealised potential, and CDA has a model to acquire, rebrand, and elevate with a powerful IP. A network of Astérix parks across Europe is not unthinkable, and such a move would elevate the brand’s profile even further. Of course, there is risk. €100m is significant,
and reimagining a park’s entire identity is no small feat. Germany is a competitive landscape, packed with quality parks and loyal fanbases. But CDA
has proven it can deliver - and Parc Astérix itself is proof of what can be achieved when the vision is right. For me, the original Parc Astérix can match up
to any park in the world – it’s only gotten better over time. If the German version of the park can capture even a fraction of that magic, then the future is bright for that little village in Gaul that refuses to be conquered. And for the operator bold enough to take its heroes beyond their homeland, the future is equally bright.
TOM ANSTEY
Tom is a world-travelled journalist who has been actively working in the attractions and wider leisure industries for more than a decade. Currently serving as Editor-in-Chief at Planet Attractions, a platform he co-founded in 2020, Tom is known for his deep industry knowledge and his commitment to exploring the stories and the people behind some of the world's most ambitious attractions projects. His favourite attraction is SeaWorld Orlando’s Mako coaster.
WINTER 2026
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