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Puy du Fou, qualified again this summer as the favorite theme park of the French by a major survey institute, has just announced it has signed a new record attendance during this 2012 season with 1.6 million visitors, ie 100,000 more compared to 2011.
The management considers that this performance, despite the unpredictable weather and the morose economic context, comes from the success of its business model built without shareholders or public subsidies. This model allows Puy du Fou to reinvest each year to create original new additions fully imagined and realized by its own artistic team.
This season, children have been in the front line with the opening of Le Monde Imaginaire de La Fontaine, a new outdoor themed area consisting of a vegetal maze inhabited with entertainments and animatronics, a show of tales and a playground. At the same time, new scenes and the mapping video technology were added to the world's largest night show La Cinéscénie as part of the 35th birthday celebrations.
Puy du Fou also explains that the 2012 season has strengthened its position as a destination finding that 60% of visitors (including 10% of foreigners) domore than two hours drive to get to the park while visits of 2 or 3 days are up sharply. The 3 on-site themed hotels (grouped in La Cité Nocturne) have posted an occupancy rate of 85% (100,000 guests in total) while the shuttle service with the city of Angers recorded 15% more passengers compared to the previous season.
Puy du Fou and Cinéscénie were both honored in 2011 by the international association Themed Entertainment Association (TEA). The jury, formed by eminent professionals working in various areas of the experience design (for theme parks, attractions, museums, live shows, etc.) awarded them the most prestigious prize, named Thea Classic Award, which recognizes the world greatest achievements of the themed entertainment industry.
In a few weeks, Puy du Fou will maybe celebrate again. The park has indeed been nominated for the Applause Award, another major award given by a jury of industry professionals under the guidance of Liseberg Amusement Park in Sweden. In competition with Ocean Park Hong Kong (China) and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (United States), the official announcement of the winner will take place during the kick-off event of IAAPA Attractions Expo on November 13 in Orlando, Florida.
New plans announced for 2013 and 2014
Puy du Fou is actively preparing for the 2013 season and just announced the first details of its next novelties. A new show on the theme of the Knights of the Round Table will be presented at the heart of the medieval city (one of the park's themed zone) whose walls and pond will be used as stage and scenery. The artistic team of La Cinéscénie is also working on new features and new scenes.
After creating Puy du Fou International in 2010, a company that advises project managers seeking to develop theme parks or entertainments based on the model Puy du Fou, a travel agency called Puy du Fou Evasion will be inaugurated in 2013 to help future visitors to organize their visit from France or from throughout Europe. Finally in 2014, Cité Nocturne will expand with the opening of a fourth hotel of 100 rooms for a total of 500 additional beds.
But first the park will host during the weekend of December its traditional Christmas event (Le Grand Noël du Puy du Fou) that will take on a new dimension this year. Besides the 28 performances of the show "The Mystery of Christmas" (presented with the Prague Symphony Orchestra), visitors will now enjoy more space to wander with the addition of Le Monde Imaginaire de La Fontaine and an access to another themed area where are artisans.
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.
