TEA: These Are the Winners of the 30th Thea Awards
(eap) As part of the IAAPA Expo 2023, which took place last week at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando (Florida), the winners of the 30th “Thea Awards” presented by the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) were announced. The Buzz Price Award goes to Su Zhigang, Chairman and CEO of the Chinese Chimelong Group, who is being honored with the award for his lifelong work in and for the global leisure and entertainment industry. The Thea Classic Award goes to Liseberg. This year, Swedish park opened its first associated hotel, Gran Curiosa, which rounds off the experience for overnight guests with a specially developed storyline and detailed theming (read our article in EAP 4/2023).
In addition, the TEA, which will hold the official awards gala for the 30th Thea Awards on March 16, 2024 in Hollywood (California), will present several awards in the “Outstanding Achievement” category, including to the new indoor theme park SeaWorld Yas Island, for the “Bermuda Storm” attraction in the new Chimelong Spaceship Zhuhai and for “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind” in EPCOT (Walt Disney World, Orlando, see EAP 4/2022). The Norwegian theme park Hunderfossen received a Thea Award in the same category with the addition of “limited budget” for its “Musikkfabrikken” attraction. Other award winners include the new Deutschlandmuseum in Berlin (see EAP 6/2023) and the Eatrenalin experience dining restaurant at Europa-Park in Rust (read our cover story in EAP 6/2022). A complete list of the winners of the 30th Thea Awards can be found here. ■
