BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH’S LUXURY HOTEL ‘THE BOULEVARD’ OPENS THIS SUMMER

BY GABRIELLE

Blackpool Pleasure Beach is continuing its multi-million-pound investment with the opening of its luxurious The Boulevard Hotel.

This high-end accommodation is located on the Ocean Boulevard, next to Blackpool beach and not far from Valhalla, which was named the world’s best water ride at the Golden Ticket Awards for a fourth consecutive year.

The Boulevard Hotel has cost £12 million to construct. It features 120 stylish bedrooms, including two park view suites, eight junior suites and eight coastal suites.

All the rooms comprise of bespoke artwork and use materials sourced from well-known British companies, including handmade furniture from Designers Guild Fabrics and Tetrad.

The Beachside, a 90-seat signature restaurant, will complement the hotel.

The Boulevard is the latest accommodation to be built at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, featuring alongside the award-winning Big Blue Hotel.

Both hotels are part of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach portfolio, which has been run by the Thompson family since the resort was founded in 1896.

Amanda Thompson OBE, managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, spoke about the opening of the new luxury hotel:

“We are delighted to be able to build on the success of the Big Blue Hotel by offering both leisure and business visitors another hotel which exceeds all expectations. This is a continuation of Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s ongoing investment and a pivotal moment for the town as a whole.

“We are proud to be at the very heart of a transformation that will see Blackpool become one of the UK’s most exciting resorts,” Thompson added.

LOST ISLAND TO UNDERGO $100 MILLION THEME PARK EXPANSION

BY GABRIELLE

Lost Island, the popular waterpark in Iowa, is to significantly expand, with the construction of a $100 million theme park. The new rides and attractions site will be known as the Lost Island Themepark.

The theme park is to feature a variety of attractions and rides centred on immersing visitors in stories of faraway, magical lands.

Financing for the project will come from a combination of City Assistance, private investment, State Rise Funding, and other sources.

The new theme park will be located to the south of the Lost World waterpark in Waterloo, Iowa.

Construction for the proposed Lost Island theme park is due to be starting soon, with the venue planned to open in 2022.

Lost Island Waterpark opened in 2001. This year the family waterpark was named the second-best waterpark in the United States in the annual Reader’s Choice survey in USA Today.

HUGE INFLATABLE THEME PARK IS COMING TO TAUNTON THIS SUMMER

BY GABRIELLE

Britain’s biggest travelling inflatable theme park is coming to Taunton Town Football Club in Taunton, Devon.

Hailed as being home to “some of England’s biggest and best bouncy castles and inflatables,” the huge temporary theme park will feature around 15 to 20 inflatables, including a 50ft high slide, a 35ft helter-skelter, and numerous assault courses and play areas.

The park will also feature a total wipe-out zone, a bungee and zorbs. The inflatables are suitable for children aged between two and 14.

The inflatable theme park will be in Taunton from July 27 until August 5, 2019. Admission is £8 per child and adults can enter for free.

HOT ICE RETURNS TO BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH WITH UTOPIAN

BY GABRIELLE

The glitzy, glamorous and daring ice-skating show, Hot Ice, has returned to Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s live entertainment calendar this year, with sequin-studded costumes, daring lifts and stunning lighting.

Each skater that takes part in this fast-moving ice show has been hand-picked to work with the company. The talented skaters have undergone years of training and each have their own unique style.

The choreography is performed to unique music, conceived and inspired by a rousing soundtrack. Each costume sparkles in a symphony of colour, with dazzling stones handsewn onto the fabric.

The choreography for Utopian has been created by Oula Jaaskelainen, a world and Olympic skater who understands the quality of each individual skater performing in the show. The show is directed by Amanda Thompson OBE.

Hot Ice’s 2019 season at Blackpool Pleasure Beach involves the usual glamour and glitz with a star-studded cast of international stars thrilling the audience.

Hot Ice has been performing on the Pleasure Beach’s live entertainment calendar for more than eight decades. In 2016, the theatrical company celebrated 80 years at the Pleasure Beach Arena.

Their 2019 show, Utopian, is running from July 4th to September 7th.

EVERGRANDE WATER WORLD SIGNING CEREMONY HELD IN INNER MONGOLIA

BY GABRIELLE

The official signing ceremony of the Evergrande Water World has taken place in Helinge’er New District.

Evergrande Water World is a hot spring water park project that will be situated in the heart of the Helinge’er New District, Inner Mongolia, China.

The project will use the abundance of geothermal resources that are close to the park to operate the hot spring water park.

The new district has a geothermal well, which boasts the maximum flow rate in the whole of Inner Mongolia. The lowest temperature of the well reaches 68.64 ° C and the out-flow water temperature is 62 ° C.

Evergrande Water World will have 120 attractions, which will feature the latest and the most advanced amusement ride technology and facilities.

HUSS APPOINTS LARS HARTMANN AS INTERNATIONAL SALES MANAGER

BY GABRIELLE

In a bid to strengthen its head office sales team, HUSS Park Attractions GmbH, a leading ride and attractions developer, manufacturer and supplier, has appointed Lars Hartman as the company’s international sales manager.

Hartmann is experienced in working in sales, having worked in a sales and project technical supervisory position for a leading firm in the plant construction industry for three years prior to his appointment with HUSS.

During his time at the construction company, Hartmann was the main contact for overseas clients, standing him in good stead as international sales manager for HUSS. Hartmann also holds a degree in technical management and technology marketing.

The role with HUSS will involve Hartmann working on sales activities on an international scale, helping the company promote its many attractions and rides to new markets around the world.

Lars Hartmann commented on his appointment with HUSS.

“Being a theme park and ride attraction enthusiast all my life, I am very happy to be offered the chance to become a member of the HUSS team and to become involved in an industry which originally helped to encourage my decision to become a sales engineer.

“HUSS rides have always been some of my personal favourites and their popularity and success have been proven for decades. I am very much looking forward to helping the company continue with this success,” said Hartmann.

Mirko J. Schulze, CEO of HUSS, also commented on the appointment.

“We are delighted to welcome Lars to our head office sales team. As we continue to serve the parks and attractions sector around the world and seek to move into new markets, his sales experience and technical knowledge will greatly assist these efforts,” said Schulze.

PROVIDENT RECOMMENDED AS OWNER AND OPERATOR OF MALL OF AMERICA’S WATERPARK

BY GABRIELLE

The Bloomington Port Authority and City Council are recommending Provident Resource Group as the non-profit owner and operator of the South Loop Waterpark at the Mall of America.

Costing $250 million to develop, the 335,000 square-foot attraction would be one of North America’s largest indoor waterparks.

Provident, alongside five other organisations, submitted a request for proposals to be a borrower for the financing of the new site.

Following a series of meetings, Bloomington City Council shortlisted three organisations – Provident Resources Group, Community Facility Partners and National Development Council.

With extensive experience in operating similar attraction projects, Provident was unanimously recommended to the City Council.

With support from the City Council, Provident would be able to negotiate a contract and begin working on the waterpark as soon as possible.

The building of Mall of America’s South Loop Waterpark could start as early as 2020. Completion could be set for 2022.

MIDSUMMER EVENINGS KICK OFF AT TOVERLAND

BY GABRIELLE

Midsummer Evenings are being presented at Toverland in Sevenum, Netherlands, with extra shows, live entertainment and special characters.

These special evenings are running for five Wednesday evenings and five Saturday evenings and will revolve around the park’s annual event known as Midsummer Evenings.

At the end of the ten evenings, a magical firework display will take place.

During Midsummer Evenings, each of the different themed areas in the park are brought to life with its own entertainment.

The park’s entrance, Port Laguna, will greet guests with swinging music, a human statue and a magical caricaturist.

The tales of Merlin are being told at the Legends of Avalon with the famous wizard and troubadours playing their medieval music at the Flaming Feather inn.

‘Stimmung und Spaß’ will fill the Biergarten and memorable firework displays will light up the sky at the wooden rollercoaster Troy.

Visitors are also able to go on various water attractions throughout the evening and embark on a rollercoaster ride at sunset.

A new show called ‘The Battle of Port Laguna’ will be performed at Toverland until August 25. The show involves a battle between good and evil taking place on a stranded ship stage, ending in a 25-metre death dive.

The Midsummer Evenings take place every Wednesday and Saturday from 17 July until 17 August 2019.

ROYAL LIVER BUILDING 360 EXPERIENCE UNDERGOES IMMERSIVE TRANSFORMATION

BY GABRIELLE

In a bid to immerse visitors into the city’ history, Liverpool’s iconic Royal Liver Building has undergone a significant physical and virtual transformation.

The transformation includes an interactive Augmented Reality app, which enables visitors to take a closer look at the architectural design of the building and marvel at the stunning views from the building’s 15th floor.

The Royal Liver Building 360 experience opened in April this year. The Viewing Platform and the Clock Tower, both of which are larger than Big Ben, are now open to the public, for the first time in the building’s 111-year history.

A free Visitor Centre located on the Lower Ground Floor is also now open to the public.

An immersive projection mapped show, delivered as a turnkey production by Holovis, brings the Clock Tower to life.

The show tells the story of Liverpool, tracing the city’s industrial boom of the late 1800s to the destruction the war had on the city, up until the present day and Liverpool’s vibrant culture.

With 270-degree visuals, surround sound with an original score and sound effects, and by using the internal walls of the Clock Tower, guests are fully immersed into Liverpool’s unique story.

Peter Cliff, creative director at Holovis, commented on the iconic building’s transformation.

“The discoveries that guests make in the Visitor Centre allow them to customise their visit, by unlocking more secrets that are akin to their interests. As they progress on the 360 experience, the moments from the app perfectly compliment the narrative of their guide, which is as entertaining as it is educational.

“We have added a layer of adventure and gamification to the experience, which encourages visitors to further engage. It has also given the attraction an exciting digital platform, without the need for expensive and sometimes impractical screens, especially when working in a Grade 1* listed building.

“The app is a great addition to the experience that is helping guests get more immersed into the history of the building and the wider story of the glorious city of Liverpool,” said Cliff.

Chris Devaney, Operations Manager for RLB360, said:

“We’re really pleased with all the positive feedback the RLB360 tower tour has been receiving from our visitors and we’re proud to already be ranked in the top 10 things to do in Liverpool on TripAdvisor.

“People using the app also have an opportunity to further explore not only architect W.A Thomas’s connection to the city with Google Maps linked guide to his other buildings, but also to go out and find Bella & Bertie’s extended Liver Bird family.

“It’s been a fantastic opening three months and the launch of the app is just one of the exciting announcements we’ve got coming up this summer.”

MERLIN PARTNERS WITH COCA-COLA GREAT BRITAIN TO EXCHANGE PLASTIC BOTTLES FOR DISCOUNTS

 BY GABRIELLE

Merlin Entertainments is reigniting its partnership with Coca-Cola Great Britain, to offer consumers incentives into some of Britain’s best-loved family attractions in return for their used plastic bottles.

The initiative follows the success of the scheme which launched last year. Visitors can enjoy 50% off entry prices into leading UK attractions in exchange for their used plastic bottles.

23 ‘reverse vending’ machines are now installed at 30 of Merlin Entertainments’ top attraction sites, enabling visitors to recycle 500ml plastic bottles in exchange of a 50% off entry voucher.

Amongst the participating resorts are Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures and Legoland Windsor Resort.

Warwick Castle and Sea Life Blackpool are also taking part in the recycling scheme.

Sandra Hazel, head of Force for Good at Merlin Entertainments, commented on the return of the recycling programme:

“We are delighted to extend this initiative after great success in 2019. We care about recycling and know that our customers do too. This partnership is a great way to work together to protect our planet and is just one of the initiatives we are invested in to increase recycling at our attractions.”

Kris Robbens, marketing director at Coca-Cola Great Britain said:

“Recycling doesn’t need to be boring and we want to reward and recognise people for doing the right thing and making it easier to recycle on the go. This is just one of the steps we’re taking to ensure our packaging is as sustainable as possible and making it easier for people to recycle”

The reverse vending machines will available at the leading resorts until October 17, 2019.