New Edutainment Attraction with Mini Flying Theater Coming to Malta
Photo: Courtesy of Simtec Systems
(eap) The southern European islands of Malta are getting a new immersive edutainment attraction that will bring the islands’ history to life. The experience, which is being developed by the experience design company of Sarner International and is scheduled to open still this year, will be a combination of an immersive dark walk experience, an interactive exhibition and a flying theater. The attraction will be located in the Mercury Towers (partly under construction in St. Julians), which were designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. After completion, the imposing and tallest building in Malta is set to become a new cultural hotspot. Various retail outlets, a diverse gastronomic offer, an “ME Hotel” by Meliá as well as diverse cultural and entertainment offers are to await guests here.
Mercury is investing a multi-million euros sum in the new attraction, which begins with the already metioned dark walk that introduces visitors to the history of Malta and, among other things, Mercury House. Guests will then be presented with today’s Malta in a projection show. The experience is completed by a ride in a Flying Theater from Simtec Systems. The simulated flight takes guests over the landscapes and sights of Malta. These are shown with real footage, enriched by CG effects, in 8K resolution. The flying theatre is a “HEXaFLITE® mini” model (EAP 5/2022, p. 108), which is being installed in Europe for the first time.
Marcel Bonnici, CEO, Mercury Towers: “We are honoured to partner with global leaders Sarner International and Simtec Systems to bring Malta’s history to life through this truly unique concept. This groundbreaking attraction embodies our commitment to creating unforgettable moments which cannot be experienced elsewhere – in this case, through a fully immersive cultural attraction, which provides thrilling entertainment while serving as an enriching educational experience.”
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work together with Sarner on this wonderful project. It was a challenge for both, Sarner and Simtec, to include such an immersive attraction within the constraints of the available space in the building. With our HEXaFLITE®mini, developed for small spaces, we have managed to meet this challenge. This is our first mini flying theater in Europe, and we are very proud to have it installed in Malta!” says Andreas Stickel, Director Business Development at Simtec Systems.
For the development of the attraction, Sarner also worked closely with Heritage Malta to create an authentic edutainment experience. The attraction will be offered in eight different languages, so that especially the target group of tourists can discover Malta in a new way. ■
