Issue 2: March/April 2025

While indoor swimming pools are of course not an invention of our time, but began their rise to popularity as year-round health and recreation centers in Central and Northern Europe a good two centuries ago, the trend today is that more and more tourist resorts, even in the south of the continent, as well as outdoor leisure facilities everywhere are seeking to expand their offerings with indoor water parks that operate all year round. With such investment decisions, they are all pursuing the same goal, namely to be able to welcome numerous guests, create growth and employ staff on a long-term basis, even in supposedly off-season periods. Amadria Park in Šibenik, Croatia, recently added a large indoor hall to its outdoor water park: Aquapark Dalmatia Indoor is intended to further promote year-round tourism in the region ...

For half a century now, Europa-Park in Rust has been thrilling millions of visitors every year with its unique mix of thrills, entertainment and storytelling. What began in 1975 as an ambitious family project has developed into one of Europe’s leading leisure resorts. Today, Europa-Park is not only the largest theme park in Germany, but also an internationally acclaimed model of success. To mark its anniversary, we take a look at the special history and the clever strategic decisions that have made Europa-Park the icon of the leisure industry it is today ...

For decades, the leisure industry has been one of the sectors that is considered to have a high degree of resilience. Theme parks, leisure offers and attractions are in demand and economically stable – a rock in the surf, or in other words: an economic big player of high societal and social value. Even the pandemic years, which have severely restricted communal experiences, have fortunately only caused a few “scratches” to most European theme and amusement parks in the long term. And while park operators started the 2023 season licking their wounds but confidently, last year it was already “full speed ahead”! And all this despite the fact that the economic and social problems in many European countries were getting bigger rather than smaller ...

Seasonal thematic overlays and integrated IPs are of great importance for the Asian theme park market as they serve as tools for creating memorable, culturally special experiences. Reason enough to take a look at case studies of the market there and ask ourselves whether and how these experiences can be transferred to Europe. As diverse as the regions of Asia are, so too is the range of tools available for organizing such events. These include parades, attractions, character meet-and-greets, temporary decoration of attractions and special merchandising as well as culturally inspired F&B offers ...

A few years after the opening of the Nintendo theme world at Universal Studios Japan in 2024, it was announced that the eagerly awaited first expansion, “Donkey Kong Country”, would open in the same year. The new themed area officially opened to the public on December 11, 2024. A significant milestone that marks the introduction of another popular Nintendo product to the Super Nintendo World visitor experience. The main attraction of the new area is Mine Cart Madness, a thrilling yet family-friendly roller coaster inspired by the fast-paced Mine Cart levels from the Donkey Kong Country Returns game series ...