Spain: Parques Reunidos Opens New Aquarium in Madrid
Atlantis Aquarium, the latest visitor attraction of the Parques Reunidos group, recently went into operation at the Xanadú shopping and entertainment centre in Arroyomolinos (Madrid). The aquarium aims at attracting visitors with numerous species of fish and marine animals, in addition to a number of interactive features such as knowledge challenges and a VR application, helping to understand today’s threats to the ocean and how to protect marine life. The aquarium, stating to forgo single-use plastic items, is the first venue of Parques Reunidos meant for educational and environmental leisure.
The tour starts with a story about a meteorite crashing into Madrid, carrying a message from a future submerges civilization, which warns current humans about the consequences of clime change if no action is being taken. After the introduction, visitors enter the over 6,000 square meter large aquarium area with a total of 20 recreated marine ecosystems, from colorful coral reefs to the deep sea and Antarctica. More than 10,000 animals from over 150 different species inhabit the water tanks and basins with a total capacity of more than 2,3 million liters of water.
Each area is complemented by a number of interactive stations, including touchscreens and interactive tests. Also, visitors can make use of VR technology to experience an exciting immersion among sharks, while Augmented Reality transports them to some fascinating species of the South Pole.
In addition to Atlantis Aquarium, Parques Reunidos will open a new Nickelodeon Adventure FEC at the shopping and entertainment centre, the first location of which was opened in the Spanish city of Murcia back in 2017 (cf. EAP news from March 10th, 2016).
France’s Nausicaá aquarium, located in the coastal town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, has also recently expanded its visitor offer to create new immersive experiences related to the ocean. Read more about this topic in our upcoming EAP issue (Jan/Feb 2019). (eap)
