SUNAC TEAMS UP WITH WUHAN REAL ESTATE GROUP TO DEVELOP A CULTURAL TOURISM CITY

 BY GABRIELLE

Sunac China Holdings, a leading property developer headquartered in Tianjin, China, has teamed up with the Wuhan Real Estate Group. The companies have signed for a project investment and cooperation agreement with the Huangbei District of Wuhan City.

The project will involve Sunac working with Wuhan Real Estate Group to develop the Sunac Wuhan Yangtze River Cultural Tourism City project. The two companies will work together to bring their expertise and influence in cultural tourism operation, conferences and exhibitions, hotel operations, industrial real estate, commercial real estate, and property services.

The Wuhan Yangtze River Cultural Tourism City is likely to become a benchmark cultural and tourist complex in the Huangbei District.

VANTAGE PIVOTS TO PROVIDE CONTACT TRACING SOLUTIONS DURING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

BY GABRIELLE


Vantage Pivots, providers of innovative technology to the attractions industry, is to use its tracing software to help in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The tech was developed to trace guests visiting waterparks via smart wrist bands.

The tracking software enables waterparks to see how guests circulate and which attractions they spend the time the most on. The technology thereby provides a waterpark with a snapshot of the number of visitors at a site and where the most popular places within a waterpark are.

Philip Edgell, Vantage’s president, described the benefits of the technology. “The value stems from linking wrist bands to guest profiles. Each guest of the park is incentivised to create a profile that records any number of details a park wishes to know and that the guest is willing to share.

“The guest receives a more personalised experience and the operator, in turn, receives guest details, while allowing them to respond to customer behaviours in real-time,” Edgell added.

Knowing where visitors are and how long they stayed in specific areas, could prove beneficial to businesses other than attraction sites, during the era of social distancing. Having the ability to trace people, without using a mobile phone, and within a confined space and known who they have come into contact with, could be an accurate and effective way to help stop the spread of viruses.

FORMER BALPPA CHAIRMAN ANTHONY BRENNER LOSES BATTLE WITH COVID-19

BY GABRIELLE


On April 14, Anthony Brenner, former BALPPA chairman from Teignmouth Pier, sadly lost his battle with COVID-19.

Anthony Bremmer worked with his father in the late 1950s. In 1961, his father bought the Grand Pier at Teignmouth. In 2002, Brenner became chairman of the BALPPA Trade Association for theme parks, aquariums, leisure parks, piers, zoos and other visitor attraction sites in the UK.

Brenner started to suffer from dementia, not long after losing his wife in 2009. He spent the last three years of his life being cared for in Exeter.

TOVERLAND ANNOUNCES SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WHEN THE PARK REOPENS

BY GABRIELLE

The Toverland theme park in Sevenum, Netherlands, has announced a series of safety measures the park is planning for when it reopens following closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Toverland’s director, Jean Gelissen, the park is considering limiting its visitor numbers. “We are thinking about working with time slots. We will have to spread. People who don’t know each other will probably no longer be able to coexist,” said Gelissen.

Bellewaerde theme park in Belgium is planning to put similar measures in place when it reopens, including capping the number of visitors to the park initially to 4,000. With fewer guests, people will be able to spread out more and keep a safer distance from each other.

Bellewaerde is also going to place distance markers around the park where people form queues, bring in additional cleaning routines and ensure staff where masks, to help maintain the social distancing implementing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

ELECTROLAND AND PRIDE AT DISNEYLAND PARIS RESCHEDULED TO 2021

 BY GABRIELLE


Disneyland Paris’ upcoming summer events, Electroland and Pride, are to be rescheduled until 2021, the theme park has announced.

The decision to postpone the events is in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus health crisis and with recent government measures made in France.

Disneyland Paris Pride will now betaking place in June 2021 and Electroland has been rescheduled to July 2 – 4, 2021.

Electroland is an electronic music festival that celebrates this genre of music with well-known and upcoming acts within the scene.

Disneyland Paris Pride is an official LGBT pride celebration that is held annually at the theme park. The event traditionally takes place during the first weekend of June.

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL STREAMS ‘ZED’ AS PART OF ITS WEEKLY ONLINE PRESENTATIONS

 BY GABRIELLE

Cirque du Soleil’s digital content hub, CirqueConnect, has streamed a performance of ‘Zed’, which was created exclusively for Tokyo Disney Resort.

The 60-minute streamed performance featured a live show, providing Cirque fans with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the long-running show.

‘Zed’ premiered at Tokyo Disney Resort’s Cirque du Soleil theatre in 2008, where it ran until the end of 2011.

The streaming of the iconic performance took place on April 17. It was part of Cirque Soleil’s weekly Cirque Connect presentations, which stream other popular performances, including Alegria, Luzia, Volta and more.

Cirque Soleil is no stranger to creating shows exclusively for Disney. The ‘La Nouba’ show ran for almost 20 years until 2017, at the custom-built theatre at Disney Springs.

The company’s new show, Drawn to Life, was due to debut this spring, but has been postponed because of the ongoing pandemic.

NEW ATTRACTIONS PLANNED FOR SOUTHEND PIER

BY GABRIELLE

In a bid to attract more tourists, extensive renovations are to be carried out on Southend’s pier, including the building of a new attraction.

Plans are in motion to construct a new pavilion where the pier’s bowling alley once stood. The bowling alley was destroyed in a fire in 1995. There are proposals to move the pier’s museum into the new pavilion. Further proposals for the Southend site include turning the museum into a “London Dungeon type attraction” which would explore the history of ships moored on the pier in forgone eras.

The renovation of the pier is to also include a new train platform, plans that have been approved by Southend Council. The new platform will accommodate eco-friendly trains and come at a proposed cost of £3.25 million. The new platform will be constructed at the land end of the pier. Severn Lamb, a leading amusement transport supplier in the UK, won the contract to build the eco-friendly trains for Southern Pier in January 2020.

In addition, a Marine Plaza development has also been approved for Southend’s waterfront, at a cost of £100 million.

LEGOLAND WINDSOR LIVE STREAMS DAILY SHARK FEED SESSIONS

 BY GABRIELLE


Legoland Windsor is live streaming its daily feeding of sharks in an effort to help keep families entertained during lockdown when the theme park remains closed. The live stream sessions take place on the theme park’s official Facebook page and are free for everyone to enjoy.

Viewers can watch as an aquarist feeds the park’s resident sharks, which live in the Deep Sea Adventure area of the Legoland resort. Younger views can also listen to information about marine life at Legoland Windsor.

When the theme park is open, visitors can witness shark feeding experiences, when they are taught be aquarists on how to properly feed the sharks. Visitors can also participate in Q&A sessions with the aquarists.

Legoland Windsor closed on March 20 following the outbreak of the pandemic. Park officials are working closely with authorities to determine when it can safely reopen, stating the health and wellbeing of employees and guests are always their priority.

LEVIN AQUATIC CENTRE HYDROSLIDE TO BE REPAIRED

 BY GABRIELLE


The hydroslide at the Levin Aquatic Centre, New Zealand, is to be repaired at a cost of $370,000.

The council has approved the repair and is wanting the work to be carried out by local businesses once the lockdown has been lifted. The hydroslide is almost 20 years old. Work to repair it will comprise of removing the slide and either repairing or replacing the existing stairwell.

According to engineer reports, the handrails, floor plates and stairs of the hydroslide need to be replaced and the stairwell is partially rusted.

Brent Harvey, community facilities and even manager at the Levin Aquatic Centre, pinned the damage on the atmospheric conditions at the pool. “The are where the hydroslide is has high humidity, higher ambient temperature, poor ventilation and a high concentration of corrosion-inducing anions,” Harvey commented.

Levin’s councillor, Wayne Bishop, noted the challenges the coronavirus outbreak has created at a local level. “Going forward we are going to be challenges to be a key part of rebooting the economy locally,” said Bishop.

DISNEY CEO BOB CHAPEK JOINS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 BY GABRIELLE


Bob Chapek, Walt Disney Company’s new CEO, has been elected onto the company’s board of directors. Chapek was made CEO in February 2020, replacing longstanding CEO Bob Iger. The new CEO was the former chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

Susan Arnold, independent lead director of the Disney Board, commented on the decision to elect Chapek as a member of the board of directors. “Bob Chapek has demonstrated remarkable leadership in the face of unprecedented challenges that were unimaginable when he became CEO just seven weeks ago, and we’ve watched him navigate this very complex situation with decisiveness and compassion.

“We are pleased to add Bob to the Board, as stated we would when he was named CEO,” Arnold continued.

Bob Iger remains in the role of executive chairman until December 31, 202, when his contract ends. Iger oversees the Disney board of directors, which now has ten members. He continues to provide “guidance” during Bob Chapek’s transition into the position of CEO.