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05/17 - More photos to come this Monday cause now it's time for us for some water fun! Congratulations for this great addition!
05/17 - Canadian manufacturer ProSlide designed the slides. Another successful project completed! http://t.co/LJgrc55H4W
05/17 - And what goes up...must come down ;-) Impressive slide to look at, success is guaranteed! http://t.co/w7QvnoXgPo
05/17 - The main new attraction of Costa Caribe is King Khajuna, Europe's tallest freefall water slide! http://t.co/E368ttrLO3
05/17 - Spanish synchronized swimming team offered us a great performance in one of the new pools http://t.co/0fTMhM6ypl
05/17 - Ribbon cut ceremony with PortAventura and Investindustrial executives http://t.co/YNfJiMVyYc
05/17 - PortAventura is well known for its quality shows! We were welcomed by dancers in front of the new area http://t.co/dLP4gefLAF
05/17 - A hundred journalists as well as many bloggers, fans and VIP's made the trip to Costa Caribe! http://t.co/sYes56BDNJ
05/17 - Just back from PortAventura's Costa Caribe waterpark expansion grand opening! Weather is just perfect! http://t.co/AnSRQhNLQI
05/17 - NewsParcs is attending today the grand opening of PortAventura's Costa Caribe waterpark expansion http://t.co/FUyQv26XAg
05/16 - On our way to PortAventura! Tomorrow is the grand opening of their waterpark expansion with Europe's tallest slide!
05/16 - I am really looking forward to riding it again! One of my favorite coaster ever, simple but efficient!
05/16 - Main suppliers involved in Psyké Underground are Gerstlauer Amusement Rides, Jora Vision and Jora Entertainment
05/16 - The ride will be the first Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop in the world to be fully covered. Mechanical launch is replaced by magnetic one
05/16 - Walibi Belgium Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop coaster new name is 'Psyké Underground' / €6 million investment / Opening in June
05/16 - In a few minutes Walibi Belgium will unveil the name of its classic Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop coaster to reopen soon after renovation
05/15 - This Friday, NewsParcs will attend PortAventura's waterpark expansion media day. Stay tuned for updates !
05/10 - Euro Attractions Show is Europe's largest conference and trade show for the attractions industry. September 18-20 in Paris
05/10 - Registration for the Euro Attractions Show 2013 in Paris is now open! http://t.co/EXGTOoo5Fs
05/08 - Universal Orlando unveils first details about Diagon Alley to open in 2014 http://t.co/u6fWI7oDS9
The miniature park Mini Europe and the waterpark Océade, two of the most iconic tourist attractions in the city of Brussels, will have to close their doors in August 2013. That is the decision taken by the local politicians while they will launch a redevelopment plan for the Heysel, an area located at north-west of the Belgian capital. As a result of this redevelopment plan, The leases for both parks will not be renewed.
Heysel became famous for hosting the World Exposition in 1935. One finds today the renowned Atomium monument, an Exhibition Centre, a 50,000-seat stadium, various sports and cultural facilities as well as the recreation area "Bruparck". Inaugurated in 1988, Bruparck offers tourists and Brussels residents a village with shops and restaurants, a multiplex cinema, and various leisure activities including Océade and Mini-Europe opened respectively in '88 and '89.
The redevelopment project, called NEO, plans the complete destruction of Bruparck and the stadium to make way for a new neighborhood where there will be built a mall, a convention center, hotels, housing, offices, a concert hall and recreational infrastructure... but without Mini-Europe and Océade that developers no longer wish to see in the final draft.
Even if some "arrangements" have been proposed - namely Océade moving into a new building and a change of concept for Mini-Europe - the managing director of both companies Thierry Meeùs (son of the Walibi Group founder) doesn't agree to see his activities disapearing highlighting the fact that both parks are profitable, popular and essential for tourism in Brussels and even in Belgium.
Indeed, Océade and Mini-Europe welcome around 600,000 visitors annually, representing 25% of all visits to museums and attractions in Brussels. They thus provide about € 15 million in economic benefits for the city. In 2011, Mini-Europe welcomed 361,000 visitors, employed 85 people and generated a turnover of € 4 million. Océade generated in 2011 a turnover of € 3.5 million, employed 140 people and welcomed 240,000 visitors. Total investments for both parks since 1988 is about € 26 million while the reconstruction cost would be between 37 and € 40 million...
In a statement, Thierry Meeus explained his disagreement with the city authorities. "We have in our favor: investment, jobs created, number of visitors and economic benefits for the region ... Many tourists combine a visit to the Atomium with Mini-Europe, and Océade grew by 80 % in the last 10 years, becoming one of the water parks the most popular between Paris and The Hague! "
He adds "The NEO plan is a prestige project which, if it sees the day, asks important questions in terms of cost, profitability and nuisances. On our side, the project exists, is profitable, costs nothing to the taxpayers, provides many benefits, emphasizes the role of Brussels as the European capital in and is constantly growing with new nvestments. "
The words of Thierry Meeus against the authorities are incisive : "The City of Brussels seems to want to kill the unique entrepreneurial dynamism in the field of attractions that we demonstrate for so long. What's worse is the lack of respect from authorities: we are told for example that Océade might remain ... if he moves 100 meters! We are also told that Mini-Europe could remain if we destroy all the buildings and provided that the miniature monuments are visible to all passers of Heysel. Basically, they give us the right to remain only if Océade and Mini-Europe are almost entirely rebuilt... meaning that they will become financially inexploitable for us!"
To prove they won't give up, Thierry Meeus said that both parks will continue to invest until the end to satisfy their loyal customers and tourists. Last night, Océade has opened two new water slides while several renovations of models will be carried out in Mini-Europe before the opening of the 2012 season on March 17.
And because the authorities' decision is unpopular, Mini-europe and Océade also launched an online petition to ask people to support them.
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The manufacturer of water slides and attractions Polin reports the opening of a new indoor water park it has designed in Ryazan, Russia. Named Gorki Waterpark, the facility is part of a large family entertainment resort (Oka...
