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The German theme park Europa-Park has surpassed in 2012 the 4.5 million visitors for the first time, confirming its position as the first seasonal park in the world. This outcome is therefore highly satisfactory for the Mack family, owner of the site, which had engaged the biggest volume of investment in the history of the company: €60 million (about $78 million).
If attendance and satisfaction levels are steadily increasing in recent years (in 2008, the park had welcomed 4 million people), this is the increase of French visitors which is the most significant with a jump of 25% compared to 2011, ie a total of 1 million admissions. Overall, the number of European and foreigners visitors is increasing, especially those coming from Austria, Benelux, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
"Today, nearly 90% of our visitors are repeat visitors. This is undeniable proof of the validity of our concept. I am especially pleased that the satisfaction of the public continues to grow. Maintain this level of satisfaction at a high level while pursuing growth at Europa-Park is one of our motivations," explained Roland Mack, owner of Europa-Park.
The 2012 season has been marked by two significant achievements, starting with the new wood roller coaster WODAN Timburcoaster inaugurated in the spring. Custom design by the US manufacturer Great Coasters International, it has welcomed more than 2.5 million passengers, ie a total of 100,000 rides (for more details, read Europa-Park opens WODAN Timburcoaster - Interview with Roland Mack). In July, the destination opened the Bell Rock, a fifth hotel which has already recorded more than 100,000 overnight stays (it has 225 rooms, including 35 suites, with a capacity of 1000 beds), while the overall occupancy rate for the entire resort was 95%.
Europa-Park has benefited from a great international visibility in recent months, thanks to the involvement of Roland Mack who made a one-year term as IAAPA President of the Board. The theme park has also won several awards in 2012 starting with the prestigious Thea Classic which was given by the Themed Entertainment Association and the Golden Ticket Award for best amusement park in the world following the vote of readers of Amusement Today magazine.
At the IAAPA Attractions Expo tradeshow, Europa-Park won three Brass Ring Awards; one for the restaurant 'Foodloop' (in the category of Best Innovation in Food and Beverafe) and two for the productions 'Imperio Show' (budget between $200,000 and $400,000) and 'Mysteria' (budget between $700,000 and $1 million).
If the Mack family will focus this year on renovations and new family experiences (including the expansion of the Märchenwald themed area with 6 new stories), the next big project has been confirmed for the 2014 season as part of the partnership with the French movie studio EuropaCorp and director Luc Besson. The main element of the investment will be a new ride - a suspended family roller coaster designed by MACK Rides - on the theme of the animated film Arthur and the Minimoys.
Adverse weather conditions at the beginning of the season and the ever difficult economic conditions in Europe have negatively impacted the activities...
CORPORATE | Walibi Belgium - Published on September 9, 2013
NewsParcs will do a full coverage of the IAAPA Attractions Expo 2013 in Orlando to have a look at the latest trends and developments of the global theme park industry.
